Dragon Ball Legacy
by CaBrPi
Summary: Centuries after the battle with Yi Xing Long, a new generation of fighters appears, and the unending quest for the seven magic Dragon Balls begins again!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Dawn of a New Era!  
><strong>by CaBrPi and BlackSabby**  
><strong>

The sky was gray with clouds, and a light breeze stirred the trees and grasses to life. But that was outside. Inside, the room was full of rather stale air, which carried the scent of several sweaty pre- and post-pubescent bodies, as well as a hint of rubber. The whispering of pencils communicating their holder's thoughts into the ears of paper was joined by the metronomic ticking of the clock hung high on the wall above the windows.

Son Goshin brushed a jet-black lock of hair from his eyes. His bangs were unruly, often being described as "exploding".

He glanced up at the teacher, a middle-aged woman with crow's feet and a rather pronounced brow. She was watching the clock, seemingly just as anxious about the continuing passage of time as any of the other students.

It was the thirty-first of May. The last day of the school year. Goshin knew that all the other students were awaiting the dismissal bell, and their first taste of freedom since the term began. They were all scribbling away at their final assignment of the year, trying excitedly to cram in every detail of their summer plans. Their eyes were probably all filled with anticipation of the longest break from school that the year offered. Even more so about High School and all the wonders it possessed.

But Goshin felt no such glee.

He looked down at his own paper, with his name in the heading, titled, "My Summer Vacation Plans". There, in one short paragraph, lay the fate of Goshin's summer vacation, and the rest of his youth.

"This summer, I am going away to live with my great-great uncle. He runs a small delivery company, and I am going to be helping with deliveries. He will also train me in martial arts."

Most of the other students in Goshin's class were probably planning to spend just about every day of the three months they had off with their best friends, going to the beach, or going to see family in other cities.

But once Goshin left Satan City Junior High School, he wouldn't be doing any of those things. He wouldn't even be advancing to High School with his classmates.

Truth be told, Goshin's plans were probably more interesting than any of his classmates', and were, in reality, more interesting than he'd made them sound on paper. His uncle just happened to be the revered Muten-Dashi, the current holder of the title of Kame-Sen'nin. The Turtle Hermits were renowned in the martial arts community as masters of their craft. According to the rumors, they even held mastery of the art of ki manipulation. Rumors Goshin knew to be true.

But the fact was, Goshin had had nothing to do with making those plans, and honestly wanted no part in them. It was a family tradition passed down for centuries. The Son family had, for the past several hundred years, been the guardians of an ancient relic, a perfect translucent orange sphere with four red stars suspended in its center. Goshin hadn't even been told what the ball was or what it did, only that he would be going away to train under the Turtle Hermit in order to gain the skills needed to protect it from those who would use it for nefarious purposes.

What kind of purposes would those be, though? What purpose did the ball serve? Goshin had asked these questions, but they had never been answered. It was just his fate, his destiny.

The teacher sighed in her apparent boredom, shaking Goshin out of his thoughts for a moment. He glanced around the room again, and spotted his friend Soku, still writing. For whatever reason, there seemed to be the usual crazy grin on his face, with one side of his mouth lifted higher than the other.

Goshin couldn't help but share the smile. Soku and Goshin had known each other since preschool, and if Goshin could pick anyone to go with him to live with his uncle, it would be Soku. That was why Soku had begged and pleaded with his parents until they decided to allow him to go along. And if Soku was excited to be going, then maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

Soku's short brown hair contrasted almost perfectly with Goshin's wild black hair. Only two stray strands of Soku's hair ever stood out, one above either eye. With Soku leaning over his paper the way he was, the two hairs almost resembled antennae.

Roola had finished writing, and straightened himself coolly in his seat. He was a good-looking young boy with a talent for baseball and a popularity with the fairer sex. But in spite of all this, he never let his popularity go to his head. He was just as friendly to the unpopular as he was to the popular.

Both of the twins, Bun and Doki, were still writing. So was Keshi, the token female of the group of friends. Her lengthy straight violet hair hung down from both sides of her head, her pencil squirming between the two barriers created by it.

He was going to miss all four of them. Sure, he'd see them during breaks from his training, but those would be few and far between.

Goshin looked one last time down at his paper, and, deciding he didn't have any more to say, dropped his pencil into his open backpack. He looked up at the clock again, just as the bell rang. The teacher stood and walked to the door, opening it, and turned around amidst the cacophony of chair legs scraping against the floor.

"Hand me your papers as you leave, everyone. And have a great summer!" she said. "Have a good time in High School, too!"

Goshin shouldered his backpack and fell in line next to Soku, who flashed him a grin. "Aren't you excited, Goshin?" he said. "We're about to spend the rest of our lives training together!"

Goshin looked down at his feet and frowned, sighing. "Please don't put it like that."

"Oh, sorry. I forgot you're not looking forward to it," Soku apologized, handing the teacher his paper and stepping outside the door.

"Bye Soku! Bye Goshin!" the teacher said.

"Bye, ma'am," they both politely replied as she took Goshin's paper.

"I guess I just don't really understand it, is all," Soku said. "I mean, your uncle owns his own _planet_, for cryin' out loud! Every day will be an adventure!"

"But I don't really want adventure..." Goshin muttered, more to himself than his friend.

"Hey, Goshin, Soku! We're all riding our bikes to the cafe! Wanna come?" Goshin and Soku looked around for the source of the invitation, locating Roola between the heads of passing seventh- and eighth-graders.

"Yeah!" Soku and Goshin replied simultaneously.

The six children hurriedly rushed out of the school building, pushing past and around other students and avoiding teachers' disapproving gazes.

Goshin, as was usual, reached his bike first despite the head start given to Roola and the others. Before they had even reached the outer glass double-doors, he was unlocking his bike chain, storing it inside his backpack, and mounting the blue and silver aluminum bicycle.

He pedaled to the edge of the sidewalk before he stopped, leaning on one foot and waiting for his friends to follow suit. Roola followed suit, then Soku, then Keshi, and then the twins tottered up to the makeshift starting line.

"Ready, guys?" Roola asked. Everyone nodded and gave general approval.

"All right. One for the money," Roola said. Goshin tightened his grip on the black rubber of the handlebars. "Two for the show." Goshin could feel his own blood pumping through his veins. "Three to get ready." He leaned in close to the handlebars. "And four to go!"

Like a flash, the six racers were off, hurtling down the streets at what seemed to them unbelievable speeds. Goshin pulled ahead quickly, flying down the street at speeds a bystander would've found astonishing.

Goshin let out a loud, gleeful whoop, and then stood up on the pedals, letting the wind flow through his hair. He glanced around behind him, and saw that Roola was in a distant second place, his blonde hair fluttering like a frustrated bird in a heavy wind.

* * *

><p>Goshin casually dropped a fistful of Zeni onto the counter as a man dressed in a light blue shirt and a white apron handed him a frigid glass full of various colorful flavors of ice cream, topped with a swirl of whipped cream and a cherry. He grabbed a spoon and began wolfing down the frozen treat.<p>

"Think ya'd never eaten before in yer life," the man muttered. Goshin pretended he didn't hear; it was easy, having heard comments like this all his life.

Goshin was halfway through his desert when Roola, out of breath, arrived, shortly followed by Soku, and then Keshi, and then the twins.

"I don't know... how you always... get here... so fast," Roola puffed between gasping breaths.

Goshin just smiled, setting his spoon down next to several empty plates covered in crumbs. He grabbed the desert glass and upended the contents into his mouth, and swallowed the remaining scoops of ice cream.

A second later, he was clutching his head in pain. "Oh, owww..." he whined.

Everyone else laughed.

A few moments later, once the remnants of Goshin's mid-afternoon snack had been cleared away, the other took their usual seats at the bar, each ordering an ice cream similar to the one Goshin had half-downed in a single bite.

"So, Goshin, give it to me straight: why are you so anxious about going to your uncle's?" Roola asked between bites.

"I dunno..." Goshin replied. "I've never even met the guy, really. I mean, he lives on his own planet, y'know? He's never in the neighborhood."

"His own planet?" Keshi gasped. "Goshin, that's so cool! I wonder if the gravity's any different."

"Well, Mom and Dad said it is. They said it's a lot harder to move around over there than it is here," Goshin said.

"Y'know, Goshin, I'm pretty excited," Soku said.

"Yeah, I guess I am, too, in a way," Goshin said. He sighed. "I'm just gonna miss everyone, y'know?"

"We'll miss you, too, Goshin!" Bun said.

"Yeah, but you'll come back strong!" Doki added, with a nod.

"You know, we _can_ keep in touch," Keshi said. "Doesn't your uncle have a video phone?"

Goshin thought for a moment. "I don't think so. He's always used this think called _eem-ale_ to talk to my mom and dad."

"What's eem-ale?" Bun and Doki asked together.

"I think it's like a magic kind of beer or somethin'," Goshin answered, shrugging his shoulders. "B'sides, we'd probably never have the time to use it. We'll be too busy training and working for the old man."

"What's your uncle gonna make you do?" Roola asked.

"Ahunno," Goshin mumbled, shrugging again. "Probably just household chores. He's a hermit, after all."

Roola stuck a spoonful of ice cream in his mouth. Goshin glanced down at his stomach, and rubbed it, realizing he was still hungry.

"Man, I could still eat a horse," he grumbled.

Roola, Keshi, Soku, Bun, and Doki all laughed. Goshin could swear that, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the waiter shudder.

"All out of snack allowance already?" Soku asked jokingly, inciting another round of laughter.

Once the laughter died down, Goshin let out a "Yes." His friends all laughed again.

"Y'know, Goshin, Soku, I don't think our gang will be the same without you guys around," Roola said.

"Hey, waiter!" he called, leaning forward over his nearly-empty glass. "Give us another round! On me!" He slapped down a pile of Zeni onto the countertop.

"Wow, really!" Goshin gasped. "Thank you!"

"No problem," Roola said. "It's the least I can do for our last hurrah before you two leave." He leaned back in his seat, putting his hands behind his head.

"Yeah, thanks, Roola," Soku said, amidst other grateful replies.

A few moments later, the waiter brought out six small desert plates each holding a fresh _Bing_ cake, and laid one in front of each member of the group. Goshin's disappeared almost as quickly as it had appeared.

A few more moments later, the six of them were outside of the cafe, unlocking their bikes.

"Anyone wanna race?" Goshin asked.

Everyone else broke out into laughter once again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Goshin Blasts Off!  
><strong>by CaBrPi and BlackSabby

Goshin's mouth stretched itself wide in a yawn, and he rubbed one eye sleepily. The Satan City Spaceport was easily just as busy now as it was at any other time of day- even the reasonable ones. There were all kinds of alien beings here arriving to conduct trade and departing with their newfound spoils. Goshin saw a few Namekians, a group of Imeggans, a white-hooded Arcosian or two, and even a Refrigeran, a race that, according to myth, the legendary warrior Freeza was born from.

But none of this was of any concern to Goshin. The only people that mattered here were his friends and his parents, who'd all gathered to see him and Soku off to their space flight. The only problem was Soku wasn't there yet.

Son Taicho and Son Rushan, Goshin's father and mother, were practically sobbing over him and choking the breath out of his body with their superhuman embrace. "Mom, Dad... can't... breathe..." he managed between gasps. Reluctantly, his parents released him.

Goshin collapsed to his hands and knees and gasped in sharply, filling his lungs again.

"Sorry, son, but we're just going to miss you so much!" Taicho said. He pulled Goshin back up to his feet and ruffled his hair. "You don't know how proud I am."

"Thanks, Dad," Goshin said.

"I love you, Goshin. Call at least once every week!" Rushan added, kneeling down and kissing her son on the cheek.

"I love you too, Mom." Goshin winced slightly as his mother tried, once again, in vain, to flatten his bangs, which immediately burst back into their usual place.

"Hey, Goshin," Roola said, tapping him on the shoulder.

"Yeah?" Goshin said, turning around to face his friends.

Keshi held out a small charm, a medallion with a carving of a cat on the front. "We got you this. For luck," she said.

"It was her idea. We all put in a little money for it," Roola said. "We got Soku one, too."

"Wow, thanks!" Goshin said, taking the tiny cat charm. "It looks familiar."

Taicho and Rushan looked knowingly at each other. "That's because this cat is a martial arts master in legend," Taicho explained.

"Oh. I like it," Goshin said, smiling.

"Goshin! We're here!" someone called.

Everyone looked toward the source of the voice to find Soku and his two parents hurrying toward them.

"Hey!" Goshin shouted, waving happily with his free hand.

"Soku!" Taicho said.

"Sorry," Soku's father said. "We were running a little slow this morning."

"Goshin, are you ready!" Soku cried, balling his fists excitedly.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Goshin replied, less than enthusiastically.

"Soku, we got you and Goshin both a good luck charm," Roola said, producing a second charm. This medallion possessed a carving of what resembled a big-lipped genie.

"Cool! Thanks!" Soku said, dropping his bags and taking the charm.

"Heheh, mine's got a cat on it!" Goshin said, grinning goofily.

"The way I see it, you two are gonna be protecting the planet, or something, right? So you deserve _something_ as thanks," Roola said.

"Yeah!" Bun and Doki said together, nodding.

"And the next time the two of ya come back to town, ya gotta show us a few moves, okay?" Roola said.

Goshin nodded. "Okay."

"You bet," Soku added.

"_Flight 256 to Planet Sandala now boarding_," a woman announced over the spaceport PA system.

"Oh! Goshin, that's your flight! You two'd better get going!" Rushan said.

"Okay. Bye everyone," Goshin said, grabbing two of his suitcases and hefting them up above his head. Taicho grabbed the third and placed it on top of the other two.

"Good luck, son," he said.

Goshin felt himself surrounded by something and realized it was Keshi when he noticed her violet hair. "Bye, Goshin," she said, releasing him.

Roola nodded. "Be seein' ya."

"Bye everyone," Goshin said, blinking away a few tears. He felt a lump in his throat beginning to build. "I'll miss you."

"We'll all miss you, too," Keshi said.

"But don't forget I'll be there!" Soku said, patting Goshin on the back and grabbing his bags. "Okay, let's go. Bye, everyone!"

And with that, Goshin and Soku turned and started toward their gate, and their new lives.

* * *

><p>The ship resembled a massive pelican's bill, though the exterior was mostly white heat-shielded panels, with some red, yellow, and black markings representing the spaceline company's logo, a highly-stylized yellow "W" zooming amongst the stars against the black background of space.<p>

The inside, however, felt almost like a womb. It was warm and comfortable, with soft, plush seats arranged in several neat rows along the length of the different cabins inside it.

"_Attention passengers: this is your pilot speaking. We will be taking flight shortly, so please, buckle your seat belts. The weather on Planet Sandala is currently sunny and a pleasant eighty-six degrees, Farenheight, with light winds blowing in from the sea. Projected flight time is forty-six hours, with no stopover_," came a calm, slightly bored voice over the intercom.

"Forty-six hours!" Goshin groaned, slapping the restraint together.

"Hey, it won't be so bad," Soku said. "Once we've exited the atmosphere, we can walk around."

"But what are we gonna do then? We can't just walk around for two whole days."

Soku shrugged. "I dunno, but my dad told me there's adventure around every corner."

Soku looked like he was about to add something, but the ship began to vibrate, almost as if it were a massive living being, as the engines warmed up and began to fire. A low roar, reduced from its true ferocity by the nearly-soundproof superstructure, could be heard coming from the rear. And, finally, the ship began to move, slowly at first, but accelerating quickly as it climbed in an upward spiral toward the black sky. And then the vibrations stopped, and passengers began to unbuckle their restraints, stretching out for the long voyage to come.

* * *

><p>"I'm hungry!" Goshin said, rubbing his stomach hungrily.<p>

"Then let's go find the cafeteria," Soku said. "My legs need some stretching anyways."

Soku rose from the brown-upholstered chair, stretching his arms above his head, followed quickly by Goshin. The two walked between the rows of seats toward the back of the cabin, into a slightly-darkened corridor.

A man dressed in a black aviator's jacket and brown cargo pants tipped his hat. "Top o' the mornin' to ya."

"Good morning, sir," Goshin and Soku replied.

Soku spotted a map labeled "YOU ARE HERE" with a red dot representing their current location, and darted toward it.

"Okay," he mumbled, "it looks like the best route is..."

"Okay, Goshin, I got it!" Soku said, turning around and grinning widely. "Just follow me!"

Goshin gulped.

* * *

><p>"Soku, do you really know where we're going? There've gotta be at least two cafeterias on this big ship, and I think we'd've found one by now," Goshin said. His stomach growled audibly.<p>

"No, no, I know where we're going," Soku said. "Like I said, adventure around every corner!"

"I'd rather eat first..." Goshin muttered.

"Oh, come on, what's the fun in that? Our lives're gonna be filled with adventure from now on anyway!" Soku said cheerily.

Goshin sighed. His stomach growled again.

Finally, Soku pushed through a door at the end of what seemed like the millionth corridor they'd passed through since they'd left their seats, and, lo and behold, a large room filled with round tables with shiny faux-wood tops and surrounded by plastic chairs waited through it.

"Oh, finally!" Goshin exclaimed, his hunger seemingly forgotten. He rushed to the nearest counter, deftly leaping over and dodging around chairs and tables in his way, and began to give the man behind it his order.

"... and a little of this, and a little of that... Oh, and some of this, yeah, no, more, yeah, that's good," he said, pointing out an assortment of food, drool practically dripping from his jaws.

The waiter struggled to push Goshin's tray to the edge of the counter once it had been filled. Goshin handed a few bills to the man, picked up his tray, and sat down at a table nearby.

In less than five minutes, Goshin had consumed everything. All his rice, noodles, soup, meat, fruits, and vegetables had been chewed up and swallowed. He burped, covered his mouth, said, "Excuse me," and blushed slightly before Soku made it over to the table with his tray.

By that time, several others had filed into the cafeteria, and most were staring at the boy who'd just inhaled enough food for ten men.

"Whaddaya think they're lookin' at, Soku?" Goshin asked.

"Well, you _did_ just eat a week's worth of food," Soku said, before spooning some noodles into his mouth.

"Nah, you just don't eat much," Goshin said. "It seems like you only ever drink water." He pointed to a rather large glass of ice water on Soku's tray for emphasis.

"Hey, you drink a lot of water, too!" Soku said.

"Yeah, but I eat a lot, too."

"Whatever," Soku said, shoveling another bite of noodles into his mouth with his spoon.

* * *

><p>The scraping of forks and spoons against ceramic plates, as well as idle chatter, filled the air of the cafeteria. According to the ship's digital readouts, it was 6:17 PM on the second day of the journey.<p>

"Y'know, Goshin, it's really not all that bad," Soku said, tipping the remnants of a bowl of soup into his mouth and slurping them up.

"Yeah," Goshin sighed, resting his chin in the palm of his hand. Before him lay a practical circus of empty plates, bowls, and cup, along with utensils licked clean.

"Hey, Goshin, look," Soku said, gesturing with a fork.

"At what?" Goshin said, glancing in the direction Soku was pointing in.

"That family sitting at that table. They look like they're all dressed in rags," Soku said.

Goshin spotted them. They were all dressed in ragged brown cloaks and had brown, fibrous skin and no noses. "Oh, I see 'em," he said. "They sure are dressed funny."

"They're Flourans. You remember what happened to Planet Flour, right?" Soku asked.

"No," Goshin said, frowning and looking down at the floor. "I don't remember."

"Well, maybe you should go talk to them. I think it might help you and them out a little," Soku suggested.

Goshin stood tentatively, and, after a moment of mental debate, stepped over to the table.

"Can I sit here for a few minutes?" he asked.

"Why, of course, son," said the tallest of the group, evidently the patriarch. He had a hood that concealed most of his white hair and beard.

"Thank you," Goshin said, bowing politely before pulling out a vacant seat and sitting in it.

"What's your name, son?" the patriarch asked.

"I'm Son Goshin," Goshin answered.

"That's a nice name, son. We're the Cerals. I'm Barley," he said, introducing himself. He gestured to a vaguely feminine-looking alien. "This is my wife, Ota." He pointed to a third individual, who was smaller than the previous two. "My son, Rye." And, finally, he gestured to the smallest of the group. "My daughter, Mae."

"It's nice to meet you all," Goshin said politely.

Ota, Rye, and Mae all greeted Goshin warmly.

"Tell me, son, what takes you to Planet Sandala?" Barley asked.

"I'm going to go work for my uncle," Goshin answered.

"Ah, but surely the Planet Earth isn't in such a bad state that someone as young as yourself truly needs to work?" Barley said, looking almost curiously at Goshin.

Goshin looked down at the table, unable to meet the old man's eyes. "Well, my uncle's also going to train me in martial arts."

"Ah, I see. I wish Planet Flour had warriors like you," Barley said, with an almost melancholic undertone.

"Why? What happened?" Goshin asked.

Ota put her arms around her two children, whose gazes were averted toward the floor.

"My dear boy, Planet Flour was once a peaceful agricultural planet. We exported much of the galaxy's grains, until one day when a group of space thugs came in and took over the planet. Of course, they were met with much resistance, but, being such a peaceful place, we were not prepared for war," Barley said, his voice grave and face lined with the passage of years.

"It was not long before the old governments were crushed, and the unified resistance became pockets of resistance, and those pockets were slowly destroyed, one by one. These gangsters destroyed much of my world's farmland, and began to use it to grow flowers outlawed by the interstellar trade treaties." Barley shook his head solemnly.

"Why didn't anyone try to talk them out of it? I don't understand, didn't they realize they were hurting innocent people?" Goshin said.

"We did try, son. But they were never willing to listen, and the barrels of their weapons were eager to speak. Some even tried to assassinate their leader, who had become the planet's new lord. But the lord was a being so powerful that he simply obliterated anyone who stepped forth to kill him."

Ota pulled her children in closer.

"Then a stranger came to the planet, supposedly to conduct business with the lord. This man killed the lord, and we hailed him as a hero, but he left as soon as he'd arrived. We thought things would get better, that the whole lot of them would fall apart without their leader, and we were only half-right. The organization did fall apart, but the higher-ranking members became warlords and began to fight over control of the planet, turning it once again into a battlefield, and so it remains today," Barley finished.

"So how did you get away?" Goshin asked.

"We saved up enough money to pay the smugglers to get us away from the planet. We came to Planet Purin, where my family and I found work for a short while. We saved just enough to move on when the jobs ran out, and repeated the cycle on the next planet, and the planet after that, saving a little more each time. One day, we hope to have enough to send someone powerful to restore balance on our planet. That is the dream that keeps me going every day, that one day, my children will be able to go _home_. That is the dream for which I, my wife, and even they toil for, day by day. This is the first restful day we've had in a long time," Barley said.

"Oh, wow," Goshin said, looking down again.

Then, suddenly, his head jerked up and he looked the old man right in his green, age-worn eyes. "Keep your money. One day, I'm going to be charged with protecting my planet, but when I'm strong, I promise I'll come to your planet and stop the warlords," he said, clenching his fist, his eyes sharp with determination.

"Son, you're only a human. These monsters are far above the realm of normal humans," Barley said, frowning in concern. "I can't bear to have any more needless deaths on my conscience."

Goshin simply smiled. "Then I'll be _more_ than human."

* * *

><p>Goshin smiled and waved good-bye to the Cerals, who reciprocated happily, before disappearing amongst the crowds disembarking from the ship. Planet Sandala's air was humid and carried slight wisps of salt, and a light, balmy breeze ruffled Goshin's hair as he and Soku walked slowly through the gates into the spaceport.<p>

Above the crowds of people, Goshin and Soku could see several signs. It took them to find the one they were looking for, which read, "GOSHIN AND SOKU".

They hurried to the old man holding up the sign, and bowed to him. "Well, boys, it's nice to meet you both. I'm the Muten-Dashi, but I'm sure you already know that. Now, hurry along, I have to meet my great nephew," he said.

"But, sir, I _am_ your nephew," Goshin protested.

"My what?" the old man replied, his eyes blinking inquisitively, magnified several times by his thick glasses.

* * *

><p>The small green craft alighted gently on the rocky surface of Planet Dashi. Inside the spacious cockpit, the Turtle Hermit himself unstrapped himself from his harness and stretched his arms up into the air, yawning and turning around.<p>

"All right, boys, let's get going!" he said.

He led Goshin and Soku, who rose from their seats at the crew's stations, down a short corridor and to a hatch. He quickly tapped a code into the unlocking mechanism that opened the hatch and extended the boarding ramp, and the door retreated upward and the Muten-Dashi strode down the dark matte gray ramp.

Waiting for them at the bottom were two of the master's other disciples. One was a tall, well-built young man with a bald head, wearing a casual blue gi with the character _Kame_ displayed on the back, and a red sash tying it around his waist. The other was a serious-faced young woman with short-cropped raven-black hair, wearing a violet gi similar in style to her counterpart's.

"Welcome home, master," the two said in unison, bowing low.

"Banbo, Ramis!" Dashi said, addressing the two, "these are your new comrades, Goshin and Soku."

"Welcome," Banbo, the young man, said, bowing to the both of them.

"Uh, hi," Goshin said, attempting to imitate Banbo's greeting.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go pick up my great nephew from the spaceport now," Dashi said.

Goshin, Soku, Banbo, and Ramis sighed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: The Training Begins  
><strong>by CaBrPi and BlackSabby

Ramis stood, braced against the cool wind of Planet Dashi. Her hair danced lightly in the breeze, and she closed her eyes as she tightened her focus.

"What do you think's gonna happen, Goshin?" Soku asked.

"Shhhh, boys, just watch," Dashi scolded, whacking Soku on the back of the head with a hefty wooden cane.

"I hope you're ready for this, Banbo," Ramis said, opening her eyes again and focusing intently on her male counterpart, who was standing some distance away on the rocky field.

"Bring it on, little lady," Banbo said, winking. He held both hands out in front of him defensively, standing with his left foot ahead of the other, his right foot at a forty-five-degree angle, both about shoulders' width apart.

"Then here it comes!" Ramis shouted, raising her hands. Brilliant golden bolts of ki emerged from the palms of her hands like fireworks. Each was fired in rapid succession with astonishing accuracy and speed.

"She's so fast!" Goshin said, receiving a knock to his own head from Dashi's cane.

"Watch," he said.

Goshin's gaze shifted to Banbo, whose lower arms were all but invisible.

"What happened to Banbo's arms?" Goshin yelped.

"Fool! Look closely!" Dashi said, again rapping Goshin on the back of the head.

Goshin squinted his eyes, and they began to focus, almost independently of his will. Slowly, Goshin began to be able to just barely make out Banbo's hands, which were deflecting each and every one of Ramis' ki bolts.

"How does he do that!" Soku wondered aloud, inviting another blow from Dashi's cane.

The light show ended, and Ramis struck a defensive pose.

"You ready for this?" Banbo shouted.

"Bring it on," Ramis said. "Little man." She smirked.

"You asked for it!" Banbo replied, cupping his hands at his waist. "Ka... me... ha... me..."

Goshin could feel an odd concentration of energy from Banbo, or, more specifically, his cupped hands. He didn't know what was about to happen, but he knew by the look on Ramis' face that it was going to be big.

"HAAAA!" Banbo cried, thrusting both hands forward and opening them up like a blossoming flower. A bright blue stream of ki burst forth from the bloom, streaking toward Ramis at nearly the speed of light.

Ramis straightened herself and took in a large breath of air before letting loose an ear-shattering scream, generating a shock wave that seemed to nullify Banbo's attack completely.

"See what you're up against now?" Dashi said. "Banbo and Ramis began training when they were eleven. They've both been under my care for seven years. They know their stuff."

"Woah," Soku said. "That's unreal."

Goshin gulped. "Will we be able to do that?"

"Eventually, yes," Dashi replied. "But first... BANBO!" he called.

The bald-headed pupil looked up. "Yes, sir?"

"Come over here!"

Banbo obliged, swiftly jogging up the stony incline to reach Goshin, Soku and the Turtle Hermit standing at the top of it.

"First, you two must run to the warehouse. Banbo will lead the way," the Muten-Dashi said.

"The warehouse, master?" Banbo repeated.

"Yes," the old man said, nodding.

"Well, if you say so," Soku said. "But Goshin's super-fast, y'know."

"Yes, well, we'll see how _super_ his speed really is," the old hermit said. "On your marks! Get set!"

Goshin and Soku both struck starting poses, and Banbo just chuckled at them both.

"One for the money!"

Goshin's heart was pounding, and he could almost feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins. There was a pounding in his temples, and the Muten-Dashi's words seemed to fade as if he was speaking from behind a wall.

Until, that is, "GO!"

Goshin took off at full speed immediately. He giggled almost giddily as the air ruffled his perpetually-messy hair, forcing his bangs back higher than they normally hung. His legs worked like pistons, muscles pumping as they pushed against the stony ground to propel him forward.

He ceased giggling when, a few seconds later, he noticed Banbo passing him effortlessly at what appeared to be a brisk pace. That was when he noticed how unnaturally heavy his legs were beginning to feel and how loudly his lungs were screaming. He chanced a glance back at Soku, and found him closer than Goshin would've expected.

Then he tripped over a loose rock and slammed his face into the ground.

"Owww..." he groaned, pushing himself back up onto his knees. He rubbed his nose gingerly, removing the tiny pebbles that had planted themselves in his skin. He wiped more off of his cheeks, then stood, wiped his palms on his shorts, and saw Banbo standing several meters past him.

He chuckled. "You all right, Goshin?"

"That's weird! I never fall back home!" Goshin replied, breathing heavily.

"Master Muten-Dashi will explain when we reach the warehouse. Let's keep going," he said, grinning reassuringly.

"O- okay," Goshin said, still feeling unsure. He could hardly believe how tired he was after going such a short distance. Was he sick?

Whatever was happening to him, Goshin continued on, barely managing to keep up a jog. Banbo slowed down until the two were in pace, and Soku, breathing even harder than Goshin, managed to catch up after a few more seconds. Banbo, on the other hand, was still not even breaking a sweat.

"Not so energetic now, huh?" Ramis called, looking smugly at Goshin and Soku. Goshin hadn't noticed her pass them. Running backwards. "Just because you were strong in whatever backwater neck of the woods you came from doesn't mean anything in the vastness of the universe, you know."

"Don't listen t' her," Banbo said. "You'll get used to it."

"Used... to... what... ?" Goshin asked, between breaths.

"Being... so tired?... Space lag?" Soku said.

Banbo simply smiled. "Like I said..." He pointed ahead with his chin. The old Turtle Hermit was already standing next to the planet's warehouse, where deliveries were stored until they were to be shipped.

After another minute or so, Goshin decided he was close enough, and collapsed to the ground next to the warehouse's concrete wall, clutching his ribcage and gasping for breath. Soku followed suit.

Ramis snickered. "Hah hah hah, Master Kame-Sen'nin, with all due respect, I don't think it was such a terribly good idea to agree to train these rubber-legs." She was leaned with one arm against the wall.

"Now, Ramis, don't forget the shape you were in when you first arrived. You couldn't run the five hundred meters, either," Dashi rebuked.

"I beg your pardon, master," Ramis said, bowing low to the ground, a small necklace holding a tear drop-shaped crystal hanging from her neck.

"Rise, my friend. It is given. Now, where were we...?" the old man wondered aloud to no one in particular.

It was several awkward seconds later that Banbo decided to speak. "Sir, I believe you were about to explain to Goshin and Soku the nature of their training on your planet."

"Ah, yes, thank you, Banbo. You and Ramis might be fast on Earth, but-" Dashi began.

"Sir, you were explaining to _Goshin and Soku_."

"Right, right. Goshin, you and Ramis-" -Banbo's mouth straightened and his eyes went blank- "might have been fast on Earth, but the gravity here is twice what you're used to," Kame-Sen'nin explained. "Here, you'll use twice as much energy to run the same distance, or lift the same weight. That's why you'll do training for a few months before I send you off on a delivery. You might even have to deliver to planets with greater gravity than this one!"

Goshin's breathing slowed gradually. His head was throbbing and he felt like he might vomit. Banbo reached a hand down, which Goshin took. Banbo hauled him back up onto his feet easily. Goshin stumbled a bit, but Banbo placed a steadying hand on his shoulder.

"You all right?" he asked.

"Yeah," Goshin sighed, rubbing his temples.

Banbo did the same for Soku, who was holding his head in his hands.

"Now you two go rest up for an hour. Your training starts in seventy-five minutes," the Muten-Dashi said.

* * *

><p>The water was cool on Goshin's face, in his ears, and on his eyelids. His lungs were filled to capacity, and bubbles slipped one by one out of his nostrils. He opened his eyes, seeing the bluish mud and teal grass on the ground below him.<p>

He flipped back, took in a deep breath, and returned to his position floating at the top of a lake behind the Turtle Hermit's modest house.

Soku's arms reached out to his sides, propelling him forward through the water. He tapped Goshin on his exposed back, rousing him from his trance-like state.

The water was a clear sapphire blue, surrounded by emerald green grass that had, undoubtedly, been planted centuries ago in a terraforming project to make the small planet hospitable to humans. The far-off red sun was climbing higher into the sky with each passing minute, ascending from its nest in the southern horizon.

"What is it?" Goshin said, glancing around him.

But Soku didn't have to answer. Goshin spotted the Muten-Dashi wading into the crystalline waters in a flowery-patterned tank top and trunks.

"Oh! Master Kame-Sen'nin!" Goshin said, turning to face him directly.

"You don't have to call me master. I'm your uncle, after all," the old man said.

"Yes, Uncle Muten-Dashi," Goshin replied.

"Disrespectful child! Have some respect! I am your master!" the hermit declared, striking Goshin on the head with his cane.

Goshin shrugged. "I'm sorry, master."

"Anyways, I see the two of you have already prepared for your first lesson! Good work!"

Goshin and Soku glanced at each other, clearly having no idea what the Turtle Hermit was talking about. "Uh, sure..." Soku said. "You know us, we just love getting ahead of the curve."

"Your first lesson will be on channeling your ki. Ki, otherwise known as chi, is an energy present in all forms of life. It is in the trees, in the grass, the fish, the animals, and even you and I. It is necessary for life. What builds great fighters is how well they can control the flow of ki throughout their bodies, so, naturally, it's necessary for future guardians of Earth to be able to channel it," the old man explained.

"So, that big blue energy attack Banbo used on Ramis, did that use ki?" Goshin asked.

"The Kamehameha wave? Yes. It's the signature technique of the Turtle School," Dashi answered.

"And what about that weird yell Ramis stopped it with?" Soku asked.

"That was what is known as a _kiai_. Every living being possesses a ki aura, and it's possible to manipulate this aura for offensive and defensive maneuvers. When Ramis yelled like that, she used her aura to halt and disperse the ki in Banbo's Kamehameha."

A fish brushed against Goshin's leg, and he shivered slightly as the scales rubbed against his skin.

"The reason I had you two come out here to my lake was to teach you about how ki flows through the body," the Muten-Dashi said, holding his free hand to one side, just under the surface of the water.

After a few seconds, Goshin began to feel a current in the water flowing around his torso.

"Do you feel the water moving? Ki flows through the body like water in a current. Like a current, it is possible to manipulate this flow with proper training. You need delicate precision and control. If you force too much ki into a certain part of your body, it can cause damage to your internal organs and veins. If ki flow is too little, that can also cause damage to your body. Therefore, fighters like myself prefer not to use the ki that circulates normally through the body in battle. Instead, we look to the sea. The stomach is the sea of ki, and this is where the energy in Banbo's Kamehameha was drawn from. It is also possible to utilize this latent ki to enhance the flow of ki throughout your body, accelerating your natural healing process or allowing your strikes to hit harder than they normally would," the old man explained.

"How do we access this ki?" Soku asked.

"It's easy, once you get the hang of it. First, you must remain perfectly calm. Feel the rhythm of the ki flowing inside your body."

Goshin closed his eyes and concentrated hard, feeling an energy flowing through his hands, his arms, his legs, his feet. _Whoa, Master Kame-Sen'nin is right!_ he thought.

"Now, look deep inside yourself. Inside your stomach, you should feel a great mass of ki. Keep yourself perfectly calm- don't stiffen up!- and draw this ki out."

Goshin could feel this latent energy flooding his body, and he felt newly energized. He opened his eyes, and noticed his bangs were fluttering even though there was no wind. He looked at Soku, whose two antenna-like hairs were doing the same.

"Excellent, excellent! You've got it!" Kame-Sen'nin said proudly. He agilely leapt out of the water and onto the shore.

"Wow! Master, how did you do that?" Soku said.

The old man chuckled. "It's amazing what one can do when one's body is enhanced by ki!" He bent over and picked up a bucket with the same hand he'd caused currents with.

"Now it's time to find out how amazing the two of you will be!"

"W- what?" Goshin and Soku muttered in unison. Kame-Sen'nin tossed the contents of the bucket into the lake.

"Here, Brucey, Brucey, Brucey! Come here, shark!" he called.

Goshin's eyes widened as he realized that the old hermit had thrown chum into the water. A massive head and wide set of jaws filled with multitudes of teeth burst through the water.

The boys screamed, their arms pinwheeling and their legs oscillating rapidly, throwing up twin plumes of water that crashed down to either side of the hungry shark.

"Don't forget, boys! Use your ki!" Kame-Sen'nin called.

* * *

><p>Goshin and Soku stood shivering, their arms wrapped around themselves, their teeth chattering, in front of the Turtle Hermit. Banbo and Ramis stood to either side of him. "Well, I'd say you both did well! You avoided Bruce, all right!"<p>

"S- sir," Soku said, "c- can we sit down for a few m- minutes?"

"O- or eat?" Goshin added.

"No, you can't eat yet!" Kame-Sen'nin said, striking both boys on the head with his cane. "You have to do your mid-morning exercises now!"

"M- mid-morning?" Soku said.

"What exercises!" Goshin asked.

"You're going to be playing crab soccer with Banbo and Ramis!" the old man said.

Goshin and Soku sighed.

"Well, let's get this started!" Banbo said, tossing a small, gray cylindrical capsule to the ground, which burst open to reveal a black and white patterned ball.

The Turtle Hermit blasted two holes in the ground, approximately twenty meters apart, using his ki. "These will serve as your goals."

"Thank you, Master," Banbo and Ramis said in unison, before falling back to support themselves on their hands and feet, their backs to the ground.

Goshin and Soku gulped, and tentatively did the same.

* * *

><p>"And now we eat a hearty meal!" Kame-Sen'nin declared. Goshin and Soku, now fully dressed again, sat on either side of him.<p>

Before them, on the table, lay a veritable feast. Plates of ham and roast beef, bowls of salad and rice were laid out neatly. Banbo removed a white apron he was wearing and folded it neatly before setting it down in the moderately-sized kitchen and sitting down across from Goshin at the table.

"Dig in!" the old man said, jabbing his fork at a slab of beef, which disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"What?" he said, removing his thick glasses and looking at the plate where the meat had just been. He then looked at Goshin's plate, upon which the already half-eaten slab was disappearing quickly.

"I should expect this by now," he muttered under his breath. Ramis wrinkled her nose in disapproval.

* * *

><p>Kame-Sen'nin paced back and forth in front of the boys, his hands behind his back.<p>

"Well, it's afternoon now, so we'll be moving on to your afternoon training!" he said, stopping and turning to face them.

"I wonder what's in store for us next," Soku wondered aloud.

"What's in store for you next is simple. To improve your agility, you're going to skip rope!"

"Skip rope?" Goshin said.

"Yes, skip rope," the Muten-Dashi said, producing two identical plastic ropes from seemingly nowhere. "All you have to do is race each other to that tree." He pointed to a tree approximately one hundred meters away on top of a hill.

"That's easy," said Goshin, grabbing his rope. "We just swing it over our heads and jump over it, right?"

"Yes," Kame-Sen'nin said. "Just jump forward a little bit every time, until you reach the tree, and then come back here."

"Okay," Goshin said. Within seconds, he and Soku were fifty meters away, jumping almost one meter at a time.

The old man stifled a chuckle. "They're almost there," he said to himself.

Once Goshin and Soku reached the tree, they screamed and spun around and began to run back.

"Uh-uh, boys! Skip!" Dashi shouted.

A reptilian creature hissed, its four legs working as it zig-zagged across the ground after the boys, who, as instructed, were jumping forward in impressive bounds.

"No doubt their adrenaline's kicked in. They'll be tired after this!" Kame-Sen'nin said.

The boys rushed right past their master, who smiled for a second before he realized the lizard was now coming for him.

The Turtle Hermit let out a cry of fright, looking away and holding his hand out. A burst of energy sent the lizard flying back over the other side of the hill.

* * *

><p>"All right, boys, you put up a good effort today," the Muten-Dashi said, patting Goshin and Soku both on the shoulder. "You're almost done for the day, but now, you'll have to do one hundred push-ups."<p>

"Push-ups?" Goshin said flatly.

"Push-ups."

"What's the catch this time?" Soku asked.

"No catch," Kame-Sen'nin said.

Goshin shrugged and dropped to his hands. He lowed his body to the ground and... stayed there.

"Uh, Goshin?" Soku said.

"I'm trying," Goshin answered.

Soku furrowed his brow, and dropped down beside his friend, finding he, too, was unable to rise once he lowered himself.

"Why is this so hard?" Goshin asked.

"Same reason running was so hard on you. The gravity here's greater than on Earth," the Turtle Hermit said.

"But I can't even use my ki," Soku said.

"You just haven't mastered controlling it yet. You've probably hit your limit for now," the old man said. "Just rely on your own strength."

Goshin gritted his teeth, letting short bursts of air out of his throat, and slowly pushed himself up. "One," he said, falling over onto his side, breathing heavily.

"You boys had better get used to this, because, starting in one week, you'll be doing the same thing you're doing now, but in a fifty-pound turtle shell!" Kame-Sen'nin said.

Soku flopped over, gasping, onto his side too.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Delivery to Planet Raice  
><strong>by CaBrPi and BlackSabby

Goshin stretched, reaching down to the toes on one foot, before rising, and reaching down toward the other foot. Once he was sure his muscles were reasonably limber, he took a deep, calming breath.

Then he sighted his goal, the warehouse near the edge of the rocky training field. He took a second deep breath, focused his ki, and jetted off toward the metal building.

The chilly wind ruffled his hair, stung his eyes, and filled his ears with its roar, as his legs churned like pistons, pushing against the ground. Before long, he'd passed the spot where he'd tripped and fallen on his first run, but his composure remained unshakable.

He could see Banbo, Ramis, and the Muten-Dashi standing near the wall, with Soku doubled over and breathing hard nearby. The old man was holding a stopwatch in one hand.

_Come on, almost there..._ he thought to himself. He sprung forward another half meter with each bound, pacing himself so he wouldn't run out of energy so quickly. But his lungs were beginning to ache, and his legs were beginning to scream. But Goshin was determined to complete his run, and he wasn't about to give up so close to the finish.

His ki flowed into his legs, powering every flexion and extension of every muscle. The warehouse was now only a few meters away. Goshin shut his eyes tightly let out a ki-charged cry as he bounded over the final distance, summoning his reserves of strength to power his final drive to the finish.

And then he opened his eyes just before slamming face-first into the corrugated sheet metal that composed the wall of the warehouse.

"Oh, oww!" he shouted, falling to his backside and clutching his head in pain.

"Congratulations, Goshin! You ran 100 meters in 13.2 seconds!" Kame-Sen'nin said, patting Goshin on the back.

"I- is that fast?" Goshin stuttered.

"For Earth? No. For my planet, it's satisfactory," the Turtle Hermit said, nodding in confirmation.

"Too bad the poor helpless thing can't help slamming his head into the finish line," Ramis sneered, her fists on her hips.

"Come on, Ramis, the kid's only been here a month and he's already running the hundred meters," Banbo protested.

"Well, when _I_ wanted to be Master Kame-Sen'nin's disciple, I had to train myself to run the hundred meters _first_," she pressed, turning up her nose.

"Yes, well, I have a job for you all now," Kame-Sen'nin said. "Goshin, Soku, do you two think you're up for it?"

Goshin and Soku immediately perked up. "Yes sir!" the replied in unison.

Kame-Sen'nin chuckled. "Good. I received the bi-monthly order from one of my biggest clients today in the mail. You'll be delivering the most important cargo in the world! _A_ world, anyways. The world of Raice, to be exact."

"Planet Raice!" Ramis asked, seeming suddenly interested.

"Yes, Rice Bowls," Kame-Sen'nin said. "What else could allow an agriculture-based planet to make so much money? No one buys the old pre-packaged junk anymore! They want it straight from the farm, temporally-frozen and ready to serve!"

"Sir, is... is that even possible?" Banbo said, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Yes, yes, you see, the company website explains it as something to do with tiny particles of time called 'chronotons', and, well, I think the company knows best in this case, yes?" the old man replied.

"Um, yeah," Banbo said, hesitant to continue the conversation. "We'll get dressed, then take off and deliver the bowls."

* * *

><p>The roar of the ship's engines was much lighter and higher-pitched than that of the spaceliner. The cabin was rather posh, with comfortable seating arrangements and spacious workstations. The floor was a calming light blue color, and the seats were upholstered with a black leather-like material. The pilot's station was positioned slightly forward from the center of the room, with the engineer's station back and to the left, facing the wall, and the communications station was directly opposite the engineer's.<p>

Ramis, in her violet gi, plopped down rather nonchalantly in the pilot's seat, strapping herself in for takeoff. Banbo took the engineer's station.

"Uh, where do we sit?" Soku asked.

Ramis turned and eyed them for a few seconds. "Soku, you can take the communications chair. Goshin..." She tapped a few buttons at her glowing console, and a portion of the wall folded away to reveal several passenger seats lined up in a row inside the newly-uncovered alcove.

Goshin obediently took one of the seats, strapping himself in.

"... You can move those seats, you know," Ramis scoffed.

"Oh, right," Goshin said, rising and checking under his seat, finding a big red button. He shrugged and pressed the button.

Goshin's head was shoved up underneath the seat as his backside was slammed forward by the unfolding wall. Ramis laughed derisively at Goshin's muffled cries for help. Banbo glared at her as Soku rose to his feet, frightened.

"Oh, fine," Ramis said, tapping the buttons to return the wall to its folded position.

Goshin was spilled back onto the floor in front of the seat. "Owww..." he moaned.

"There's a black button next to the red one, nimrod," Ramis said.

Goshin shook his head to clear it, and then crawled back underneath his seat, finding the black button and pressing it. He jumped back in shock as the chair was pushed forward by robotic arms, and a tile in the floor slid back to let a support leg rise up on hydraulics and attach itself to the bottom of the chair. The tile slid back into place beneath it.

Goshin gave Banbo and Ramis a questioning look.

"Sit in it, Goshin," Banbo said, smiling.

Goshin did so, and, as he laid his hand down on the armrest, found himself being jerked forward about half a meter.

Banbo chuckled. "That's the control for the seat. There're four directional buttons, and two rotational buttons."

Goshin looked at the end of the armrest, and found that, indeed, there was a small button pad with four buttons arranged in a circle inside a slightly larger circle formed by two thin buttons. Each had an arrow on it pointing in different directions. In a few moments, Goshin had directed his chair to the communications station next to Soku.

"And we're off. Estimated time to arrival: eight hours," Banbo said, leaning back in his chair and holding his hands behind his head.

* * *

><p>The brown and gray expanse below was named Planet Raice. The small green ship, marked with a large black <em>kame<em> character, flew elegantly above the brown fields of grain, before coming to a rather large city of warehouses and processing plants. In the center of the city was a rather large spaceport, full of ships for distribution to other planets.

The Dashi Delivery Company ship alighted gently on a black landing pad within the spaceport. Ramis, Banbo, Soku, and Goshin all unstrapped themselves from their seats, stood, and stretched.

"All right, let's get this show on the road," Banbo said.

"Are we gonna unload the cargo now?" Soku asked.

"Uh, sure," Banbo said. He reached under his seat and produced a small black plastic case and opened it, revealing several gray capsules. "Here ya go!" He tossed two capsules each to Goshin and Soku.

"What are these?" Goshin asked.

"The cargo," Banbo answered. "Just press the- well, wait 'til we get outside first." He chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.

"Are you done yet?" Ramis snapped. "We've got a job to do, you know."

"Sorry, sorry!" Banbo said. "Just having a little fun with Goshin and Soku."

"Just don't forget what happened the last time you _had a little fun_ on this planet. We got chased halfway through the solar system by the local mafia!"

"All right, all right. Won't happen again, I promise!" Banbo said.

"It'd better not," Ramis said.

A few moments later, the four were walking down the extended boarding ramp. At the bottom, they were greeted by a small group of richly-dressed men in black suits.

"Ah, Miss Ramis! So good to see you again!" one of them said, taking Ramis' hand and kissing it gently.

"Tehwa, it's great to see you, too," Ramis said, smiling earnestly for the first time since Goshin had met her.

"And Banbo, how are you?" Tehwa said, bowing low.

As Banbo and Ramis greeted the men, Goshin looked all around at his surroundings. This was, no doubt, Oryza, the capital city of Planet Raice. But despite the relatively industrial setting, there was still an unmistakable scent of wheat and other grains carried by the air. It was almost like shopping for bread, in Goshin's mind.

There was, however, a haze over the city, blocking some of the sunlight, giving the yellow sky a grimy appearance.

"And who are these two? New disciples of the august Muten-Dashi, I presume," Tehwa said.

"Yes, sir," Banbo said. "This is Goshin, and this is Soku," he continued, indicating each respectively.

"Well, Goshin, Soku, it's a pleasure to meet you," Tehwa said, extending his hand and shaking both Goshin's and Soku's in turn. "It's great to see the new generation continuing to step up. Maybe one day, you'll be as powerful as your seniors, huh?"

Goshin, Soku, and Banbo smiled. Ramis rolled her eyes.

"Here's your cargo, Tehwa," Ramis said, handing over the half-full capsule case. "Goshin, Soku, give Tehwa the capsules Banbo gave you."

"Yes, mom," Soku said, rolling his eyes and handing Tehwa his two capsules. Goshin did the same.

"Now, I suppose you're all tired from your lengthy flight. Why don't you come with me and rest up at my house? My wife's preparing dinner tonight, so there'll be plenty of food," Tehwa suggested.

"Well-" Ramis began.

"Food!" Goshin repeated, immediately perking up.

Tehwa chuckled. "Going by the hair, the name, and the stomach, I'd say this one's another Son!"

"You'd be right," Banbo said. "Goshin is Taicho's son, according to Master Kame-Sen'nin."

"Well isn't that great? I've never had the honor of hosting such a legendary family! You simply _must_ join us!"

"Well, if you insist. Master Kame-Sen'nin won't be expecting us back until sometime tomorrow anyhow," Ramis said.

"Excellent!" Tehwa said, smiling graciously.

* * *

><p>Laid out upon the table was chicken, turkey, ham, rice, noodles, and salads composed of numerous vegetables laid out in bowls and plates arranged neatly at the spacious table.<p>

Tehwa's wife, Zima, was eagerly urging them all to begin eating. Goshin obliged her with a certain furor. His plate filled up in seconds, and was quickly empty again.

"So, Ramis, how is your training going?" Zima asked.

"Yeah, tell us!" Tehwa and Zima's children, Kalts and Teff, said.

"Well, all right," Ramis said, taking a deep breath.

As she was talking, Goshin leaned over to Banbo, who was sitting on the other side of Soku from him, and asked, "Banbo, why is Ramis so nice to these kids? She's never nice to me 'n Soku."

"Well, it goes back. Way back," Banbo said, whispering back. "But I guess we've got time. Y'see, Ramis was born on a small planet called Nolica. Her parents were two poor sharecroppers, and they struggled to get by day to day. Back then, the planet was owned by a large corporation that employed thugs to make sure everyone living there was only keeping their contractual share.

"Well, it happened that Ramis' mother became pregnant. Neither one of her parents knew what to do. They were barely getting by as it was with one child. They had no idea how they were going to support two. So, slowly, over the next few weeks, they began withholding just a little bit more grain from the company. For a while, things went okay, but one day, someone with the company realized that Ramis' family had been giving less grain than their quota specified.

"So a gang of thugs showed up at their door. Ramis' father told Ramis and her mother to run out through the back door, while he opened the front door and held them off. But it didn't go the way he thought it would. When her father went to open the door, they shot him to pieces. Ramis' mother shoved her out the back door and slammed it shut behind her, and locked it. Ramis ran, as fast as she could, to the grain fields her family had worked, hearing the gunshots that heralded her mother's death.

"Ramis hid once the thugs burst through the back door, crawling among the wheat stalks until she reached the fence that marked the boundary between her family's property and the neighbors'. There was a hole under the fence, so she crawled through it and went to her neighbors' house. They hid her until the thugs had gone, and, eventually, she made enough money doing odd jobs around the planet to buy passage to Master Kame-Sen'nin's planet.

"I was already a disciple of the venerable master, living with and training under him. When Ramis came to us, she had nothing but determination to be strong. He told her that he wouldn't start training her until she was able to run one hundred meters on his planet without tripping and under twenty seconds. It took a lot of time and a lot of hard work, but, eventually, she did it, and Master Kame-Sen'nin accepted her as a student. I think she just envies you two. The two of you were given a spot training under the master at birth, and she had to work hard to get one. Now, I'm not trying to say you two don't deserve to be students under Master Kame-Sen'nin. You do. You've both been working very hard. But Ramis can't get over her jealousy," Banbo said.

"The reason why she's so nice around these guys is she relates to them. Tehwa used to be a sharecropper, too. But he's managed to rise up to his new position as Trade Supervisor for the Raice Company. She sees this family as what her family could've been."

"Oh man," Soku said, looking down at his lap.

"I never knew," Goshin said, sinking down into his seat.

* * *

><p>The living room was dark. Banbo was snoring lightly, reclined in Tehwa's lazy chair with a blanket bunched up and draped loosely over his mid-torso. Ramis was sleeping on the plush couch. Soku was sleeping on the floor between Goshin and the coffee table. Goshin, however, was staring at the ceiling with his hands behind his head.<p>

_It took a lot of time, and a lot of hard work, but, eventually, she did it._

There was a noise.

Something like plastic blocks knocking against each other... Maybe wine glasses clinking during a toast... Goshin wasn't sure.

He could see the green holographic digits displaying the time: 2:17.

_Is someone up there playing?_ Goshin wondered.

Then there was a scream. Banbo, Soku, and Ramis all bolted upright, immediately awake and ready for a fight.

Zima at once at the bottom of the flight of stairs that led up to the house's two bedrooms.

"Zima! What is it?" Ramis asked.

"It's the Roots Gang! They've taken the children!" Zima cried hysterically.

"They've taken Kalts and Teff!" Ramis said, hopping to her feet off the couch.

The whirring sound of a hovercar's engines started up suddenly, and quickly began to grow quiet as, Goshin could only assume, the kidnappers sped away.

"They left a ransom note saying they'd kill them both if we don't pay them one hundred thousand zeni! We don't have that kind of money right now!" Zima sobbed.

Ramis was immediately flying down the short entrance hall and out the front door.

"Ramis, wait!" Banbo shouted, to no avail. "Damn it! We'll have to go after her. She can't take on the Roots Gang alone! We'll get your children back, ma'am."

Banbo leapt to the entrance hall, and looked back at Goshin and Soku, who were still on the ground. "Come on!"

Goshin and Soku jumped to their feet and sped off out the door after Banbo. Ramis was already out of sight, but Banbo seemed to know exactly where to go.

"Banbo! What's going on!" Goshin shouted.

"The Roots Gang are holdovers from the days of corporations like the ones that killed Ramis' parents. Ramis is going to get herself killed if we don't catch up to her. I don't think she's learned how to catch bullets yet!" Banbo explained.

Goshin and Soku gasped. "They'll kill her!"

"I know," Banbo said, frowning.

"How do you know where we're going?" Goshin asked, leaping in great strides next to Banbo.

"Master Kame-Sen'nin taught us how to sense others' ki. You'll eventually learn how to do it, too, but just trust me for now!"

They ducked under and dodged around oncoming traffic. Goshin felt like his hair could fly off at any moment. The ground passed beneath them like a bullet train. Goshin's heart was throbbing, but not out of fatigue. He could hardly swallow the lump in his throat. His eyes were tearing up, but not because of the wind on them.

"Almost there!" Banbo shouted, pointing ahead.

Then the rattle of machine gun fire caught Goshin's ear. His head jerked forward and his gaze locked on the source. Ramis elegantly flipped over a black hovercar, landing a well-placed kick to the back windshield in mid-air, sending a spray of glass to the paved ground.

"Ramis, you idiot!" Banbo called.

Ramis didn't look back. The hovercar rose higher into the air, and Ramis launched herself after it. She grabbed an exhaust pipe and hauled herself up onto the back of the vehicle. One of the gangsters aimed a gun at her, but a well-placed ki bolt from Banbo melted the barrel shut.

"Grab on to something!" Banbo shouted.

"Wha-" Goshin began, interrupted when Banbo grabbed the back of his gi and hurled him and Soku at the hovercraft.

The two boys screamed as they sailed through the air, hitting the roof of the vehicle hard, shattering the front windshield and the windows.

"Oww..." Soku muttered, rubbing his forehead.

Banbo gave a shout as he rocketed through the air after them, vaulting over the hovercar and then planting his fist firmly in the vehicle's hood.

"Ramis, get the kids!" Banbo commanded.

"Right!" Ramis replied, crawling halfway into the vehicle, knocking out the three kidnappers inside with a single punch each, and grabbing the two frightened children in her arms.

"It'll be all right," she cooed softly, almost lovingly. "They can't hurt you now."

One of them pointed behind her. She turned and looked, finding two more vehicles had joined the chase.

In the blink of an eye, Ramis had freed herself and the children from the hovercar and were falling back down to the ground.

Banbo pulled his hand free of the car and jumped as high into the air as he could, directing the nose of the vehicle down toward the ground. Goshin and Soku followed Ramis' lead, jumping from the falling vehicle and back to the ground.

"Goshin, Soku, get down!" Ramis said, knocking the two onto their backs as a volley of machine gun fire swept just above them.

She thrust the two children into their arms. "Keep them safe, or else," she growled.

Then she left the ground just as gracefully as before. She pointed a single finger at one of the vehicles, which was now swooping around for another pass, and several ki bolts erupted from it simultaneously, exploding against the underside of the hovercar and disabling the engine.

The vehicle crashed, skidding on the pavement until it came to a stop against the wall of a building. Two men crawled out from the wreckage, armed with machine guns.

Goshin and Soku placed the children behind them, and charged forward, fists flying. The two men never even got a chance to fire off a single shot, as they were quickly incapacitated by the flurry of punches delivered by the two boys.

The final vehicle came around, its weapons trained on Goshin and Soku. Ramis gasped, still in mid-air. But Banbo came crashing down, straight through the roof of the car and out the bottom. The car exploded, sending up a ball of fire and sending down ashes and bits of shrapnel, which were quickly eradicated by blasts from the tips of Ramis' fingers as she alighted nimbly.

Banbo floated slowly down.

"Whoa, Banbo, you can fly!" Goshin and Soku said in unison.

Banbo chuckled. "It's just something I picked up on a mission a few months ago."

"All right, you two, let's get you back home," Ramis said tenderly, grabbing Kalts and Teff. "See? I told you they couldn't hurt you now." She smiled and giggled gently, as police sirens grew closer and louder.

* * *

><p>The sun was rising steadily higher above the spaceport.<p>

"I can't express just how grateful I am," Tehwa said, shaking Banbo's hand, then Ramis', then Soku's and Goshin's.

"Please, sir, you don't have to thank us," Banbo said.

"Yeah, it was nothing," Soku said.

"Oh, I think it was something," Tehwa insisted. "You saved my children."

"It was something any decent person would've done," Ramis said.

"Well, they've both been left with quite the impression. They've always loved you and Banbo, Ramis, but they won't stop talking about Goshin and Soku, now, either!" Tehwa said, laughing heartily.

"Well, sir, it's been good to see you again. Your wife's cooking is as great as always," Banbo said, bowing.

"And tell Kalts and Teff we'll be back in a few months. I doubt the Roots'll try to so much as touch 'em after the way we left 'em," Ramis said. "But you can call us if anything comes up!"

"Oh, yes, thank you!" Tehwa said. "I'm sure they'll be counting the days!"

"Bye-bye!" Ramis said, waving as she began to ascend the ship's boarding ramp.

"See you in a few months, sir," Banbo said.

"Bye!" Goshin said.

"Later!" Soku said.

The four entered the ship, and took their stations, ready to face their next great adventure.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Homecoming  
><strong>by CaBrPi and BlackSabby

Son Goshin took a deep breath of air, filling his lungs to capacity, and then exhaled slowly. There was a light breeze that tousled his spiky locks of jet black hair, but otherwise all was calm. He held his arms up in front of him, keeping his hands loose, and placed one foot on the ground in front of the other, which was turned at a forty-five-degree angle from the first. Banbo, Ramis, and the Muten-Dashi stood to his right, and in front of him was a rather large sandstone boulder.

He closed his eyes, imagining the rock in front of him. He could almost feel its exact shape and position from the differences in the directions of the air currents passing over his skin.

He narrowed his focus to a precise point on the boulder, imagining himself pouring all of his ki into that single point.

With a mighty cry, Goshin struck with his right fist, shattering the boulder as if it were made of glass.

"Way to go, Goshin!" Banbo cheered, clapping.

"Well done, boy," Kame-Sen'nin added.

Goshin turned to Soku, on his left, who mimicked his actions with a different boulder.

"Soku, too?" Ramis said to herself, her eyes wide.

"Unbelievable! You started your training at the beginning of June and you've come this far by August! Maybe you boys will be ready for the next _Budokai_ tournament," the old man said.

"The Budokai? Master, surely you _must_ be joking!" Ramis said.

"Now, Ramis, the boys just need to hone their fighting skills. Look at how much their strength has improved!" Kame-Sen'nin said. "In two months, they've gone from being barely able to stand to smashing boulders with their bare hands! That's incredible!"

"Whatever," Ramis muttered, folding her arms across her chest.

"I'm looking forward to it! I think I might even enter again!" Banbo said enthusiastically.

"Master, what's our next training?" Goshin and Soku asked, running up to the old man.

"Oh, I think you all could use some down time. I've got another delivery for you, to a bakery on a planet you know as airth," Kame-Sen'nin said.

Goshin and Soku could hardly contain their excitement. "You mean Earth, right?" they said, nearly dancing out of their skins.

"Oh, why, yes. Mars."

The four disciples planted their foreheads firmly against the palms of their right hands.

* * *

><p>"So what are we delivering this time?" Goshin asked cheerfully as he strapped himself into his seat next to Soku at the communications console.<p>

"Master Kame-Sen'nin said we're delivering sugar to a baked goods company based out of the North Capital," Banbo answered, strapping himself in as well.

"Is everyone ready?" Ramis asked.

"Yes!" the others replied.

"All right, then! Blast off in five... four... three... two... one!" Ramis counted down, just as the ship's engines flared, thrusting it upward into the sapphire skies of Planet Dashi.

"Yeah! To Earth, to Earth!" Goshin and Soku shouted excitedly.

* * *

><p>The Planet Earth had never looked more vibrant to Goshin as he gazed out, starry-eyed, at it through the thick glass window at the front of the Dashi Express ship's cockpit. They were coming in from the north, giving them a breath-taking view of the snow-capped maroon mountains of the north, which grew from their roots in the green highlands and rolling hills slightly further south.<p>

"Home..." Goshin whispered to himself.

"_Dashi Express ship, we have you on our short-range scanners. Please state your destination and the appropriate spaceport will be notified,_" came a calm, almost bored voice over the communications array.

"Uh," was all Soku could manage.

Banbo stood from his seat and stepped over to the communications array. "This is Dashi Express ship. Our destination today is Planet Delicious bakery in the North Capital."

"_Roger that. Please proceed, and please tell the invincible old master that Daremo sends his regards!_" the space traffic controller said.

"I will, sir," Banbo said, before disconnecting from the channel and returning to his own seat.

He flashed a smile at Goshin and Soku. "Ready to go home for a little while?"

"Yeah!" Goshin and Soku enthusiastically replied in unison.

* * *

><p>The ship touched down on a landing pad that had been recently vacated, and the hatch opened and the boarding ramp extended soon after, bearing its load of deliverymen and their cargo, which, of course, was stashed away safely inside a tiny gray Hoi Poi Capsule stored inside a black plastic container stashed away inside one of the pockets in Ramis' gi.<p>

Goshin took a deep breath of air, savoring the subtle scent of summer flowers and damp earth.

"Goshin, is it just me, or are we lighter now?" Soku said.

Goshin shrugged. "I _feel_ lighter."

"You're just a lot stronger now is all," Banbo explained. "I felt the same way on my first return trip back to Earth."

"It's weird," Goshin said. "I bet I can jump real high." Goshin bent his knees slightly, and jumped, shooting into the air at an astonishing speed and to an equally astonishing height before descending and landing lightly on his feet.

"Oh, me too! I wanna try!" Soku said, jumping. Before he could get very far off the ramp, however, Ramis reached up, grabbing him by the collar, and tossing him back down and delivering a punch to the back of Goshin's head.

"You can jump later. We have a job to do right now," she growled.

"Yes, ma'am," Goshin and Soku said, looking down at their feet.

They continued to the bottom of the ramp, which automatically retracted itself, in silence. "Welcome to North Capital Metropolitan Spaceport. Please insert your pilot's license," a robotic security guard greeted them, using a mechanical arm to tip its hat.

Ramis reached into her pocket and produced the Hoi Poi Capsule case. She opened it and pulled out a small, white, laminated card and inserted it into a slot in the robot guard's chest.

After a moment, the robot spat the card back out, saying, "Confirmed, _Raymiss Dawlse_. Enjoy your stay in the Northern Capital, and have a nice day!" Ramis retrieved her license, and the robot guard sped off on its spidery eight legs.

Ramis sighed. "They never pronounce it right." She took out three capsules from the case and tossed them down a few meters in front of them, which exploded into three identical hoverbikes. They were pearly white and glistened in the ethereal northern sun.

Banbo took the one on the left and Ramis took the center bike. Goshin and Soku looked at the remaining bike.

"Don't you guys know how to ride one of these things?" Ramis asked, raising one eyebrow.

"It's easy," Banbo said. "All you do is twist the right handlebar. Like this." He grasped the gray rubber on the handlebar and bent his wrist back, twisting the handlebar gently. The bike began to scoot forward at a slow pace.

"Oh, like a motorcycle," Soku said, hopping onto the gray seat. He twisted the handlebar just a little too hard, and the bike darted forward several meters, tossing Soku off the back.

"Soku, are you okay!" Goshin asked.

"Yeah..." Soku said, picking himself up off the ground and dusting himself off.

Ramis snickered. "That's too hard, Soku."

"Yeah, I figured," Soku said, hopping back onto the seat of the bike. He twisted the handle, more gently this time, and the bike eased forward. "There we go."

"Can we go now? We have to check in at the terminal before we can make our delivery," Ramis said.

"Goshin, hop on," Soku said, patting the back of the seat. Goshin complied, standing up on the very back of the seat and holding onto Soku's shoulders.

* * *

><p>After having checked in at the terminal, presenting their passports and having their cargo screened by a large and rather scary-looking machine, and being screened themselves by equally scary-looking security guards, Goshin, Soku, Banbo, and Ramis had arrived at the Planet Delicious Bakery without incident.<p>

"What kinda name is 'Planet Delicious', anyway?" Soku said, staring across the street at the little run-down shack with a few hovercars parked in front of it.

Banbo gestured with his thumb in the opposite direction. Soku and Goshin turned around, and their jaws dropped.

The _real_ Planet Delicious bakery was housed in a sprawling palatial building composed of many high, domed sections. The bricks were a golden yellow color, which contrasted beautifully with the opal-colored glass of the domes. Two fountains on the grounds out in front fed the luscious gardens, amongst which played several groups of squirrels.

"Wow," Soku said.

"Well, don't just stand there, you two, come on," Ramis said, shaking her head. Goshin and Soku hadn't noticed that Banbo and Ramis were already beginning to walk up the concrete pathway to the front door of the bakery.

"I can't believe we're gonna get to go in there!" Soku said.

"Yeah, there's gonna be so much food to eat," Goshin said, rubbing his stomach hungrily.

"Don't get your hopes up," Ramis said. "We might be a supplier, but we still have to pay for all the food we eat here, and Master Kame-Sen'nin wouldn't be very happy if we emptied his bank account for baked goods."

"Oh," Goshin said, patting his stomach, which growled hungrily.

A man dressed in a white baker's hat, white long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled back, and a white apron opened the door to welcome them in. "Ah, esteemed disciples of the august Muten-Roshi! Welcome, welcome!"

"Good afternoon, sir," Banbo said, nodding his head and smiling as he entered the door. Ramis did the same. Soku waved, and Goshin looked timidly at the man as they passed inside.

The inside of the bakery wasn't quite was Goshin was expecting, however. Rather than rivers of chocolate and trees made of cinnamon logs, the interior of the bakery contained rather little. There were a few plants of the inedible variety decorating corners and tables here and there, with a few portraits of what were presumably past owners or managers hanging from the walls at different intervals. The tile floor reflected the warm golden light pouring from the ornate chandeliers above, however, making the entry hall feel very homey, as if Goshin's mother, Son Rushan, would come running out of any door to grab her son up in her arms.

Goshin sniffed the air, taking in the aroma of hot, fresh cakes and pies and other assorted baked goods. His mouth began to water, and his stomach began to growl louder.

"Goshin, can't you stop that? You're embarrassing the company!" Ramis hissed.

"I'm sorry, I just smell food," Goshin replied.

"Hey, come on, Ramis, I think we're all a little bit hungry," Banbo protested.

"Whatever," Ramis said, rolling her eyes.

Eventually, they came to a massive kitchen, inside of which were multitudes of chefs working lovingly with their ingredients.

"Oh, Ramis! Hello!" one of them said when she caught sight of them. Ramis pulled the capsule case out of her pocket and retrieved one of the capsules. The chef grabbed the capsule using a napkin and told Ramis she's have to write out the check, before leading her across the kitchen to another room.

Goshin looked around. "Oh, man..." he muttered.

"You wanna take a look around?" Banbo asked.

Goshin looked up at him as if Banbo had just offered him an entire ice cream cake. "Yeah."

Banbo nodded.

Goshin smiled and began meandering around the room, gazing longingly at the dough and other ingredients each chef was working with. The smell of flour was so strong in the kitchen that Goshin could taste it.

It was then that he realized that there was a string of drool leaking from the corner of his mouth. He wiped it off on his pant leg before continuing.

Finally, he saw Ramis emerge from the office with the female cook, holding a check in her hand. The two said good bye, and Ramis gestured to Goshin to tell him they were leaving.

Goshin took one last look at the food being prepared, and followed the others out the kitchen door.

"Can we eat now?" he asked.

"We have to deposit this check first, but yes, after that," Banbo said.

Goshin smiled, patting his stomach.

* * *

><p>A large plate of meatless bones and scraps of various vegetables and desserts was all that remained in front of Goshin. He sighed, leaning back in his chair and patting his bulging stomach happily. Ramis, Banbo, and Soku weren't far behind, but they hadn't ordered nearly as much food. The waitress had had to confirm with Goshin several times that he knew how much he was asking for, and if he was really prepared to pay for it all, but, having it in with one of the richest (and strongest) men in the galaxy meant Goshin didn't need to worry about money, only filling his bottomless gut.<p>

"That was gooood," he said, putting his hands behind his head.

Ramis smacked the side of his ribcage with the back of her hand. "Arms down."

"Yes, ma'am," Goshin said, lowering his arms and folding his hands in his lap instead.

"Are we gonna go back to the Turtle Hermit's now?" he asked.

"No," Banbo answered. "Master Kame-Sen'nin decided that we could stay a few days. He said it could be good for you two to go home for a day or two. Get a home-cooked meal, and a good night's rest in your own beds."

"So, wait, when are we going?" Soku asked.

Banbo chuckled, eyeing some rather scantily-clad young women sitting a few tables over who were waving their fingers and winking at him occasionally. "_We_ are not. You two, though, can make the trip alone. There's nothing to worry about. Just take the hover bikes, and you'll be back in Satan City in a few hours," he said, tossing a capsule each to Goshin and Soku. "We'll come for you in seventy-two hours."

"Oh," Goshin said. He felt something inside his chest. His heart felt like it was about to burst. Did Banbo really expect him and Soku to travel so many hundreds of miles?

"Don't worry. I'll be watching out for you both," Banbo said, as if he'd read Goshin's mind.

"Goshin, can you believe this!" Soku said, seeming like he was about to explode with excitement. "We get to go home! And it's still summer, so everyone'll still be out of school!"

Goshin raised himself up and smiled. "Hey, yeah! That's right!"

"Let's go, then! We can get before nightfall if we hurry and go now!" Soku said.

"Oh, right!" Goshin said, hopping out of his seat. He and Soku rushed out of the restaurant, and tossed their Hoi Poi Capsules onto the ground, revealing two of the hoverbikes they'd used earlier to traverse the North Capital.

The two hopped onto the seats of their respective bikes. "Uhh..." Goshin stuttered.

"What is it, Goshin?" Soku asked.

Goshin chuckled nervously. "I don't know how to drive it."

* * *

><p>Goshin and Soku soared above the ground on a single hoverbike, with Soku operating the machine and Goshin holding on for dear life. The North Capital was passing by around them, almost as if it was a movie being projected on a gigantic screen. They passed people walking on the sidewalks below, children riding their wheeled bicycles in the street, and the hovercar traffic above. Buildings, brick, mortar, concrete, and glass, all sped by in a rush.<p>

"Satan City's way far in the east, right? So we should go southeast to get there," Soku yelled over the mighty roar of the wind.

"Uh, right!" Goshin yelled back. "I think."

The golden orb of the sun was sinking down to the west in the ever-darkening sky, and the tiny white specks of stars were beginning to emerge from their diurnal hiding places. The beginning stages of night were something Goshin had missed since his departure, and he couldn't help but feel a strange tingling sensation in his chest now that he was seeing it again.

The chilly wind was whipping both boys' hair into a standing position, though it wasn't much different than normal for Goshin's hair. He had to squint his eyes, however, as they kept drying out in the wind.

"I think you're s'posed to wear goggles or something when you ride these things!" Goshin shouted.

"Well, _I_ think only one person's s'pose to ride!" Soku responded, giving his friend a slight smirk.

Slowly, the city faded into the distance, and gray was replaced with green and brown as the bike raced above the trees.

Goshin's teeth chattered, but hardly from the cold wind. He could hardly contain his excitement at the thought of seeing his mother, his father, and his other friends again for the first time in over two months. He could almost hear his friend's chatter and smell Keshi's perfume and Roola's body spray. He could almost taste his mother's delicious cooking, and now he could almost smell the smoke from a sizzling steak in a frying pan.

In fact, he did smell smoke.

Soku seemed to be noticing it as well, too. He slowed the bike.

"Goshin, do you smell that?" he asked, now that they had slowed down enough that the wind wasn't overpowering every other sound.

But before Goshin could answer, there was a massive explosion from directly beneath them, and the resulting shock wave sent the bike flying into the air, spilling the two boys off of it.

Goshin couldn't help but scream as he sailed upward with the force of the shock wave. He saw the world dropping away beneath him, Soku flailing around in the air nearby, and the bike already cartwheeling back to the ground below. Then the world stopped falling and started rising rapidly.

All he could think about was how stupid this all was. He shouldn't have let himself get distracted by thoughts of home. He shouldn't have agreed to ride without the supervision of more experienced riders. Someone able to save them in case a situation like this happened. Stupid. Now he'd never get home. Never get to see his mother or father or friends again. Stupid way to die, too.

He noticed the trees that had been directly beneath them had all been blown away by the explosion, having shattered other trees and across them as well. Wood was scattered all around the clearing, which was now filling with what seemed to be some sort of construction worker.

Goshin hit the dirt hard, and rolled toward the center of what he realized was a crater. Soku followed suit, tumbling down just behind him. He could hardly breathe at all, having had the breath knocked from him, and there was a horrible pain in his forearm where he'd first hit. He bit his bottom lip hard, and clutched it with his other hand.

"Goshin, are you all right?" Soku asked, managing to pull himself into a sitting position.

"Owwww..." Goshin moaned in reply. His vision was beginning to become obscured with tears.

"Aw, damn it, Kozan, ya used too much dynamite, just like I told ya!" one of the workers said.

Another worker, apparently Kozan, stuck his middle finger up into the air at the first. "Look at how much I care!"

"What's going on? Can't you guys get us some help?" Soku said, trying to pull himself back up to his feet. "I think my friend needs medical help."

"Jeez, Horu, they're alive!" one of the miners said.

"Yeah, well, you know what the boss said," another replied. "No one's supposed to know what we're doing here."

"Yeah, we'll give 'em medical attention," yet another added, cracking his knuckles.

Goshin could hardly believe his ears. The pain in his arm was quickly numbed by anger and fear. "What do you mean?" Soku said, taking a step back so that he was standing over Goshin, who struggled to push himself up with his good arm.

"Aw, come on, Kozan, they're just kids! What do they know?" one of the workers said.

"Listen, you wanna talk to Chasim about it, or do ya wanna shut up 'n drop it?" Kozan demanded.

The other worker didn't reply.

"That's what I thought," Kozan said, crackling his knuckles as well.

"L- listen, you," Soku said, "we've been trained in the martial arts!"

The workers laughed at Soku's attempt at a threat. "You think we're scared of wimpy little brown-belts like you?" one of them said, inciting another round of boisterous laughter.

_Oh, man, where's Banbo when you need 'im..._ Goshin thought.

"We've been training on a planet with twice the gravity of Earth! We're a lot stronger than we look!" Soku warned, but this only made the workers laugh even harder.

"Listen, kid, we're miners. We've worked on planets with _five_ times Earth's gravity. Two ain't nothin'," Kozan said, wiping a tear of laughter from his eye. "And you ain't got a snowball's chance in hell."

"Soku..." Goshin said weakly. "We might be able to win. We just have to use our ki."

"Right, we'll-" Soku began, just as he was cut off by a powerful punch to the gut by Kozan's thick right arm.

"Hey, that's my best friend!" Goshin cried, leaping up and delivering a well-placed kick to Kozan's face.

Kozan cried out in pain, swearing. "Augh! Damn it, ya little bastard! Squash 'im!"

Goshin landed back on his feet, now backed up by Soku, who had recovered somewhat from Kozan's punch.

One of the miners lurched forward with his arms spread wide, trying to grab Goshin, who leapt out of the way just in time, flipped forward, and brought his knee down to the man's back, causing a cry of pain to issue from the man's lips.

"Aw, whatsamatter, Horu? Can't take care of a couple kids?" another miner taunted, darting forward with surprising agility and headbutting Goshin in the chest, knocking him back to the ground at the center of the crater, next to the battered and broken bike.

Soku responded by punching the man square in the side, knocking him over, and then jumping onto his chest, but the man grabbed Soku in his hands and tossed him aside like a doll.

Soku crawled back to his feet to stand next to Goshin. "Listen, Soku, I might be able to get this. There's an old technique my family's passed down for a real long time for bozos like these. They're strong, but this should be able to stop 'em in their tracks," Goshin said. "See if you can copy it."

"Okay, whatever we have to do," Soku agreed.

Goshin hopped to the nearest miner, who aimed a punch at his face. "ROCK!" Goshin cried, blocking the punch with one of his own, boosted by his ki. "SCISSORS!" Goshin pulled back his fist and then jabbed his index and middle fingers into the man's eyes, causing him to recoil in pain, clutching his face. "PAPER!" Goshin finished with a mighty blow to the man's abdomen from his palm, which caused the man to stumbled backwards and fall to the ground.

"Hey, you're pretty good, Goshin!" Soku said. "Fightin' with one arm and all."

Soku leapt to the next miner and tried out his own Rock-Scissors-Paper attack, which worked just as well, with Soku still having the use of his right arm.

But the next try was not so lucky. Though the next miner's first punch was blocked by Soku's counter, he punched with his left fist as well, catching Soku off guard and sending him flying backwards.

"No, Soku!" Goshin cried, feeling a fire flare up inside his chest.

He aimed his palm at the responsible worker, and from his palm burst forth a golden bolt of ki, which shot at the man, hitting him in the back and scorching off his shirt and knocking him onto his face.

But there were many more miners left to go. Goshin growled in frustration, clenching his good fist.

Then Goshin felt himself being hauled up into the air by his ankles as he fell upside-down. His fingers brushed against the dirt of the crater. "Lights out, kid," Kozan said, apparently having overpowered the pain in his body.

Goshin closed his eyes and clenched his jaw, preparing himself for the inevitable.

But it never came. Goshin opened his eyes, and what he saw was unbelievable. A tall man wearing a black business suit and a bowler and buried his fist deep inside Kozan's gut, causing him to drop Goshin, and double over, clutching his stomach, before passing out.

"Anyone else care to try and pick on someone their own size?" the stranger challenged.

Fading in and out of consciousness, Goshin watched in semi-awe as the stranger dispatched each and every one of the miners with a singular blows. One punch to the stomach, one kick to the jaw, was all it took to down each of the bulky strongmen.

"What?" Goshin said, though he doubted anyone could hear.

As soon as the man had made sure all the miners were out cold, the man appeared over Goshin. "I've contacted the authorities already. They'll be sending an ambulance and several police cars. Your friend should be okay."

Goshin didn't know how to feel about this man, dressed entirely in black. All Goshin could see of his skin was his face. The man's smile was assuring, and his eyes were kind, however.

"This sort of thing shouldn't happen to innocent bystanders, especially ones so young," the man said.

Goshin let his eyes close for a few short seconds, and when he opened them again, the man was gone.

Goshin slowly clambered to his feet, feeling totally exhausted and in severe pain. He couldn't feel most of his right arm anymore. His chest felt like someone had punctured it with a knife. His jaw ached. He threw his head down and vomited on the ground.

When he had finished, he looked up, and his heart stopped when he saw a short, hooded figure walking down into the crater in the fading light.

"Soku..." Goshin whispered, rapping his friend on the shoulder with his good hand.

Soku groaned.

"Soku, wake up," Goshin quietly pleaded as the hooded figure drew nearer. Goshin could feel the hair on the back of his neck prick up, and he felt his chest tighten. Something about this man scared him even more than the workers had.

"Soku, come on..." Goshin said again, shaking his friend harder.

"Huh? What?" Soku said, finally coming to. Goshin pointed, and Soku gasped, immediately climbing to his feet.

The man removed his hood, revealing an impish, non-human face with greenish skin and two whiskers on either side of his mouth. The man's bulbous eyes were surveying the damage, lingering for a second on each of the defeated miners.

"Who is responsible for this?" the man demanded in an oddly squeaky yet malevolent voice.

Goshin and Soku could only stare at the man in terror

"WELL?" the man demanded. "Did you do this, boy?"

Goshin pointed to himself, shaking his head nervously. His whole body was shaking.

"Then WHO DID!" the man demanded again.

"I don't know who it was," Goshin said, "Honest."

"You LIAR!" the man said, his eyes bulging with rage.

"No, you don't understand! We weren't even supposed to be here! We were just trying to get to Satan City, you see, and-" Goshin said.

"I DON'T CARE WHERE YOU WERE GOING! WHO DID THIS!" the man screamed.

"I told you," Goshin said, on the verge of tears, "I don't know."

"LIAR! LIAR LIAR! I'LL TEACH _YOU_ TO MESS WITH THE GREAT AND POWERFUL CHASIM! I'LL TURN YOU INTO A SLUG!" the man screeched.

Goshin gulped.

"PAPARA-PA!" the man said, waving his tiny, wrinkled hands around in the air before directing them toward Goshin.

"No, Goshin! Get out of the way!" Soku shouted, slamming into Goshin and knocking him aside. A shimmering stream of some ethereal energy enveloped Soku's body, and he collapsed to the ground.

"Get away from them!" shouted a familiar voice. Then Banbo dropped out of the sky, landing nimbly between the prone Goshin and Soku and the cloaked man. "KA... ME... HA..."

"The Kamehameha? You're from the Turtle School!" the little man shrieked. "I'm getting out of here!" With that, the man threw a handful of smoke at the ground and disappeared in a flash of light.

Banbo looked at Goshin and then turned to Soku, and his could only stare in horror. "Soku? Oh my God... Are you okay?"

_Ooohhh..._ Soku thought rubbing his head and sitting up.

Then he saw his arm. Even in the fading light he could make out the green skin and the yellow musculature. "Oh."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: The Search Begins  
><strong>by CaBrPi and Blacksabby**  
><strong>

The entire room was white. It would have been maddening, if it weren't for the presence of a few people. There was warm sunlight pouring into the room through the open plastic blinds of the window in the opposite corner of the room.

Some of the people in the room were crying rather obnoxiously, but Goshin didn't care. Their only son was, after all, no longer human.

Banbo, Ramis, and Goshin's parents, Taicho and Rushan, were sitting in a few chairs lined up against the wall next to the window, sitting in silence. Goshin's parents had arrived at the hospital in the middle of the night, looking concerned but calm, but Soku's parents hadn't been able to compose themselves for more than half an hour at a time.

Goshin looked down at the spring-green blanket covering him from the chest down. His right arm sat atop it, wrapped in a thick cast. He didn't feel any pain from it; one of the doctors had given him quite a dosage of pain medication and his memory was foggy rather foggy from parts of the night.

The doctors had said that Soku, being a Namekian (now, at least), needed no medical care due to his inherent regenerative abilities. They said he'd be able to leave the next day, which Goshin figured meant today.

Either way, what he was experiencing now was something different entirely from the physical pain of last night. His chest felt hollow and empty, yet it, along with the rest of his body, felt heavy.

"Goshin, what's wrong? You haven't said a word," his mother, Rushan, asked.

Goshin simply sighed and looked up at her with his blank eyes. Then he looked over at Soku. He'd looked at him several times during his more conscious moments, but he still couldn't get used to the green skin that was smooth on his head and lined on his arms and legs, the yellow musculature of his biceps, elbows, knees, and other places, each spot lined with a single stripe of red skin, and the two bulbed antennae sprouting from his head where the two irregular locks of hair used to be.

"Goshin," Rushan said in that motherly way.

Goshin looked down. "I... messed up," he said, trying but failing to swallow back the flood of tears.

"Goshin..." Rushan whispered, sitting down next to her son on his bed and embracing him.

Ramis looked down at the floor silently, as Rushan brushed away Goshin's tears. "It's not your fault," she cooed. "There's nothing you could've done."

"It's okay, Goshin, really," Soku said from his own bed. "We'll all get used to me being like this. It's my fault, anyway! I'm the one that took that blast for you."

"I don't think it was a blast," Banbo chimed in. His voice was rather dark. "I think it was a _spell_. I've never heard of a Papara-pa technique from Master Kame-Sen'nin, or from anyone I've ever met at the tournaments Ramis and I have fought in."

Goshin continued to sob in the arms of his mother. "I've... never... felt... weaker!" he screamed.

A doctor and a few nurses rushed into the room, carrying some strange-looking equipment. Then they noticed Goshin was crying. "Poor kid..." one of them muttered as they exited again.

"See, Goshin, stop. You're getting all worked up and your heart rate's going crazy," Taicho said, patting his son on the shoulder.

It was at that moment that a robot with a large screen on its front came zipping in the door. On the screen was the face of Kame-Sen'nin.

"Oh, Goshin, I'm so glad to see you all right! Aside from the arm and all," he said, before the robot turned to face Soku. The old man let out a startled shriek. "OH! Soku! What's happened to you! You are Soku, aren't you?"

"Yes, Master Muten-Dashi, it's me," Soku replied.

"Geh- it's just... surprising! Yeah, surprising! To see you in such a... condition," Kame-Sen'nin said. "Oh, wow, somebody sure did a number on the two of you."

"It was more than one person, Master," Soku said. "There were a lot of them. They beat us up pretty bad. Then something happened... I don't remember. I didn't see it, but all the people who beat _us_ up got beat up by someone else. Then some small guy in a cloak came and got real mad. He tried to zap Goshin, but I got in the way."

Kame-Sen'nin seemed taken aback by something Soku had said. "S- Soku, do you remember what the man who zapped you looked like?"

"No, sir," Soku said. Unable to hold his master's gaze, he looked down at his blanket.

"I do," Goshin said, sniffling.

"Goshin? What did he look like?"

Goshin looked up at nothing in particular, recollecting his memories. "He was a small guy, like Soku said. He had wrinkly green skin, big, bug eyes, and four whiskers around his mouth. He looked like a bug."

"He _did_ look like a Sessamian to me, Master," Banbo said.

"Banbo, is that you? A Sessamian, you say?" Kame-Sen'nin said, the robot displaying his face whirling around to face him.

"Yes, Master," Banbo answered.

"Oh, my," Kame-Sen'nin said. The robot backed up to allow everyone in the room to get a clear view of him.

"If this is true, then the man you encountered must've been the wizard Chasim," Kame-Sen'nin said. "He's been a wanted criminal for a while, and I've heard rumors that he's been on Earth for a little while."

"Master Muten-Dashi," Taicho said, standing from his son's bed, "if I may interrupt you, what could possibly have brought someone like Chasim to Earth?" He seemed anxious, almost nervous about what the answer would be.

"Ah, Son Taicho. It's been a while. I was actually getting to that," Kame-Sen'nin said. "You're a Namekian now, Soku, aren't you?"

"Yes, sir. That's what the doctors said," Soku said, nodding his head, his antennae wobbling.

"That's right. You have access to incredible power, which is a blessing. But you'll find that adjusting to life as one will not be so easy, which can be seen as a curse. You want to turn back into a human, don't you?"

"Yes, sir," Soku said, nodding his head again.

"That's what I thought. There are only two options that I know of to turn Soku back into a human. The first is getting Chasim himself to reverse the spell he placed on you," Kame-Sen'nin said, blinking through his thick glasses.

"Oh, great. We might as well ask them to throw themselves into an active volcano," Ramis said.

"Ramis, shhh," Banbo said. "Master Kame-Sen'nin hasn't finished yet."

"Sorry, Master," Ramis said, bowing low.

"The second," Kame-Sen'nin said, "is the Dragon Balls."

Goshin, Soku, Banbo, and Ramis all looked at each other skeptically. Soku's parents seemed incredibly confused.

"Forgive me, sir, but how, exactly, are dragon... _balls_ going to help us out?" Banbo asked.

"I don't even know if we could find a live dragon," Ramis said.

"Oh no, no, no," Son Taicho said. "The Dragon Balls aren't what you're thinking of."

"Taicho's right," Kame-Sen'nin said. "You see, according to the tale, there are seven Dragon Balls. They're small orange orbs with a certain number of stars in the middle, one through seven. And if you gather all seven Dragon Balls together, you can summon Shen Long, the dragon god, who will grant you any wish you desire."

Goshin and Soku looked at each other, nearly smiling.

"But, sir," Banbo said, standing and stepping forward, "even if we could find all seven, how do we know the legends are true?"

Kame-Sen'nin looked at Banbo. "Because Goshin's ancestor, Son Goku, and his allies used them many times for many purposes, usually to save the world or resurrect the dead."

Goshin's attention immediately snapped to Kame-Sen'nin. "G- Goku?" he said. He'd been told a few stories of the legendary warrior and how he had defeated the so-called Emperor of the Universe, Freeza. But why had he never been told that Goku was his ancestor? And what about these Dragon Balls? Why hadn't he ever heard of them before?

"Dad, is that true?"

Taicho glanced down at his own feet before meeting his son's gaze. "Yes, son. We didn't tell you, though, because we were afraid that you might say something at school. A lot of people wouldn't take a little boy babbling about magic dragons and wishes seriously, but you can never be too careful. The Dragon Balls are a heavily-guarded secret, and are only to be used when a situation cannot be resolved otherwise. Too many wicked beings tried to use the Dragon Balls for their own evil purposes, so it was decided long ago that they would be kept secret from the world at large, in hopes of keeping them secret from those who would misuse them."

"And Goku?"

Rushan nodded.

"Son Goku made many friends and allies during his time on Earth as well as off, but he also made many enemies, several of which attempted to take revenge for past defeats years later. If you'd said anything about being related to him in public, the wrong person could've heard and tried to kill you," Taicho explained, twiddling his thumbs. "But yes, it's true. You and I are descended from Son Goku."

"Then... that ball in our house..." Goshin said. Everyone else seemed to be hanging on to every word, their gazes shifting back and forth between father and son.

"Yeah. That's the four-star ball. It belonged to Goku a long time ago. Our family has been keeping it safe for generations."

"Sir, did you happen to bring the ball with you?" Banbo asked.

Taicho shook his head. "We keep it locked up at our house in Satan City."

"And the others?" Ramis said.

"Well, there's a map that shows where all the guardians live. You see, when the agreement was made, all seven balls were to have their own guardian, who would only give their ball to a person who they deemed worthy. But the thing about that is, over time, most of the old guardians died or left their positions. Some of them could be anywhere on the planet," Taicho said.

"Then how are we supposed to find them all?" Soku's mother finally spoke.

"You leave that to us," Kame-Sen'nin said.

"Yeah, we'll turn Soku back," Ramis said.

Soku's mother burst into tears again, and her husband began rubbing her back. "It's okay, it's okay, they're gonna handle it," he said.

"I know-ho-ho!" she sobbed.

"We'll go home and watch over the ball, and maybe see if we can track down the balls' locations or even find a new way to track them down," Rushan said. "If I remember the stories correctly, Son Goku and his friends had a device that could track their locations."

"That's right!" Kame-Sen'nin said. "I had almost forgotten. Bulma, one of the old owners of the Capsule Corporation, made it."

"That's right! We'll see if we can contact them. Maybe they'll be able to make one for us," Taicho said. "We should leave as soon as possible. Once Goshin is discharged, we'll call and give you the locations of the Dragon Balls if we've found them. You can start searching then. If not, you can come stay with us until we find them."

"Sounds good! I'll start heading to Earth on my private ship. I should be there in day or so," Kame-Sen'nin said.

"It'll be great to have you along, Master Muten-Dashi," Taicho said.

"I'm looking forward to seeing you again soon, Master," Rushan agreed, smiling.

"See you then!" Kame-Sen'nin said, and then the monitor displaying his face switched off. The robot's green eyes blinked, and then it sped out of the room on the four wheels on the bottom of its conical body.

"Please, is there anything we can do?" Soku's father asked as the door shut behind the robot.

"Yes," Rushan said. "You can come help us out with our research."

"Then we'll do it. Anything to get our little boy back to normal," he said. Soku's green cheeks reddened slightly for a moment.

"Daaad..." he groaned.

"We'll see you soon," Soku's father promised, reached down and tousling... well, nothing. Soku no longer had any hair, after all.

"We'll be off, then," Taicho said, waving at everyone and hugging his son one final time. "Bye, Goshin."

"Bye, Dad," Goshin said.

"Bye, Goshin," Rushan said as well.

"Bye, Mom."

Once the farewells had been addressed, the Sons left along with Soku's parents, and the door swung quietly shut behind them.

"Well, guys, it looks like we'll be heading out in a day or two. Sounds fun, traveling the world by ourselves. I wonder if any of these guardians are pretty," Banbo mused, scratching his stubbled chin.

Ramis promptly planted her fist deep inside Banbo's cheek. "This is _not_ the time for you to go running off with women again," she growled.

"I know, I know, sorry," Banbo said, rubbing his red cheek.

Goshin and Soku giggled.

* * *

><p>"So," Banbo said, looking around at the busy street through his sunglasses as they exited the front door of the hospital, "everyone ready?"<p>

"Yeah!" Soku and Goshin cheered, pumping their fists a few times in the air.

Ramis held out a glass tablet in front of her, reading the black lettering reflected upon it by tiny lights embedded within the glass. "According to the letter Goshin's parents sent, Capsule Corporation's Dragon Radar has detected a Dragon Ball not far from where the two of you fell on the way to Satan City. Just a few miles southeast of here. That'll be our first target, then we'll go get the Four-Star Ball from Goshin's parents. They'll give us a map of the locations of the rest of the balls. Any questions?"

No one said anything.

"Good," Ramis said, smiling. "We should have them all within the week if we work quickly, and Banbo stays out of trouble with the law."

Banbo shrugged, grinning.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Dog Days  
><strong>by CaBrPi and BlackSabby**  
><strong>

A yellow pod raced through the air, heading southeast from the Northern Capital, propelled through the air by the bright white jet of flames erupting from the small engine on its backside. On one side of the pod was the Capsule Corporation logo, a thin white letter "C" enclosed in another, slightly larger "C", itself enclosed in a similar white circle, all on a black background. On the opposite side were the plain black characters "#93".

Inside, Goshin sighed, looking out the large glass window at the foliage below, with his fist against his chin and his elbow resting on the blue-upholstered armrest of his seat. He could almost feel the pounding of large fists against his body again. Soku sat in the seat next to him, but didn't seem to feel the same anxiety.

Ramis, in the pilot's seat directly in front of Goshin, and Banbo, in the passenger's seat, both seemed calm as well.

"We'll do a quick pass over the area first, before landing," Ramis announced, gazing down at the ground.

"What for?" Soku asked.

"To see if there are any more of those thugs, you moron!" Ramis said, glaring back at him.

"Ease up, Ramis," Banbo said.

"Sorry, they're just gonna have to smarten up if they're ever gonna make it as martial artists," Ramis said.

"No, seriously, ease up on the gas. We've passed the spot already," Banbo said.

"Huh? Oh," Ramis said, pulling her foot off the accelerator pedal. "Hang on." She pressed on the brake pedal and twisted the steering apparatus around.

"Look! There they are!" Soku said, pointing out the window at the ground.

Sure enough, as everyone gazed out the windows, the crater where Goshin and Soku had crashed was crawling with people, and several tents had been set up, no doubt housing excavation equipment brought to the site to dig for something.

"Guys, according to the coordinates, the Dragon Ball should be directly at the center of that crater. I don't think we're the only ones looking for them," Banbo said, staring at the glass tablet, which currently displayed a relief map.

"Thank you, Master Obvious!" Ramis said, rolling her eyes and leading the pod down at a gentle slope, coming to a stop over a clearing near the crater. The pod lowered straight to the ground automatically, and the four disembarked. Ramis tapped a button on the outside of the pod, causing it to revert to capsule form in a pop and puff of smoke.

"So now what do we do? Go up and knock?" Ramis asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"Hey, we don't know that they're the same people, right?" Banbo said. "Maybe these guys are nicer? Besides, with all four of us, I don't think we'll have too much trouble."

"Yeah, I guess not," Soku said. "What do you think, Goshin?"

"I don't know..." Goshin said, looking down at the ground and kicking at the grass.

"Well, we've got to get that Dragon Ball somehow if we're ever going to get Soku back to normal," Ramis said, pocketing the capsule and crossing her arms.

"Hey! What are you kids doing here!" demanded a gruff voice.

Goshin, Soku, Banbo, and Ramis all turned to see a rather large man dressed in denim overalls and a white undershirt, with a yellow construction helmet on his head.

"What's it to ya?" Banbo said, stepping forward from the group.

"Why you little upstart..." the man growled, pulling back his sleeves and clenching his fists. "I'm gonna teach you a lesson."

Banbo reached out a hand, his palm facing the man. "HA!" he cried. The man was struck by what seemed to Goshin to be an invisible force field, and was lifted bodily up off the ground and sent flying backwards into a tree behind him with a loud crack.

"That's gotta hurt," Ramis said, snorting.

"Let's go," Banbo said, waving the others forward.

The woods weren't very thick, and they found it easy to traverse the short distance to the workers' camp.

It seemed larger from the ground than it did from the air, and they could now see plumes of dirt being thrust up into the air from inside the crater.

"Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in," one of the workers said, stopping and glaring at them.

"I remember you!" Soku said, pointing. "You're that Kozan guy!" Goshin tensed up, clenching his good fist tightly.

"Yeah, what of it?" Kozan said, puffing out his chest.

"So you're one of the ones that likes to beat up children?" Ramis spat, eyeing Kozan bitterly.

"Look, lady, I just do whatever the boss tells me to," Kozan shrugged.

"All right, well tell your _boss_ we have a message for him," Ramis said, darting forward and delivering a kick to the bottom of Kozan's jaw, knocking the man out.

In seconds, the entire mob of workers was on them.

Banbo was a blaze of fists, jabbing at workers left and right, his arms nearly invisible due to the speed at which they were moving. Ramis fired off several bolts of ki, which scorched the overalls and undershirts off of the miners where they were hit. Goshin and Soku watched in awe as their seniors fought a battle they themselves had lost miserably only days earlier.

Still, Goshin couldn't help but think of that mysterious stranger, in his business suit and bowler hat. Maybe he was just as amazing as Banbo and Ramis. No, he was _more_ amazing.

There was a sharp crack, and Goshin turned to see a worker approaching Soku with his fist drawn. Goshin did the first thing that came to mind, launching himself headfirst into the man's chest, causing him to fall flat on his back and pass out.

Goshin stood, clenching his fist, but in anger this time. He narrowed his eyes. "_Don't._"

"Goshin?" Soku said, wide-eyed.

"What?" Goshin asked, turning, his face falling back into place.

Just then, an odd chuckled echoed throughout the camp. Goshin and Soku turned to see that Banbo and Ramis had dispatched all of the workers, much as the stranger had days before.

Now the only other two who were standing had appeared from behind a tent. They looked like twins, and both had powdered faces and were wearing complimentary patterns of black and white.

"Heheheh," the two chuckled in unison. "We are-"

"Ches," said the right one.

"And Cheka," added the left one.

"And we are servants of the great warlock Chasim," they continued. Banbo sighed exasperatedly and Ramis rolled her eyes.

"Our lord commands us to challenge you to a game. If you win, you get to move on to the next level, and face Chasim's monster," they said.

"Chasim's monster?" Soku repeated.

"Yes," Ches and Cheka said. "He is there, in the crater, digging to our prize- no doubt one that we are in contention over."

"So that's what that dirt is," Soku said.

"And what if we lose?" Ramis said sarcastically.

"We..." the two began.

"We haven't figured that out yet," Cheka said.

"So," the two continued, "do you accept our challenge?"

"Nope," Banbo said, cupping his hands at his side. "Kamehameha!" Banbo thrust his hands forward at the last syllable, unleashing the bright blue blast of ki, which exploded just in front of the two, sending them flying off into the sky, where they disappeared in a twinkle.

And then the wizard himself made his appearance.

"Oh, bravo, turtle disciples," Chasim said, stepping out from behind another tent. "You've utterly destroyed this operation. Well, not quite." Chasim chuckled. "You see, I still have my monster, after all."

"So what kinda monster is this?" Soku asked.

"Ah, my young friend. I see my transformation spell slightly misfired. Rather than a slug, you're, well... No matter, I bet if I pour some salt on you, you'll shrivel up just like the real thing!" Chasim said. He cackled to himself.

"The boy asked you a question," Banbo said, cupping his hands at his side again.

"N- no need to be so aggressive! Haha!" Chasim said, beginning to sweat. Then he leaned forward slightly, casting shadows across his already-shaded face.

"This monster is no ordinary creature. I captured him with a magical spell some weeks ago after tracking him down like, well, a dog," Chasim said.

"What do you mean?" Ramis said.

"Oh, why don't I show you? Koroger, SIC 'EM!" Chasim said, pulling a long white bone out of his sleeve.

Immediately, the plumes of dirt disappeared and a loud howl issued from somewhere down in the crater. A few seconds later, a rather large dog coated in dirt had crawled out and was bounding toward Banbo, barking madly.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Banbo said, letting his face fall into his palm and leaping up into the air, out of the dog's reach. "Down, boy."

"Keh! He won't listen to you, brat!" Chasim said. "Get the other ones!"

The dog turned and sprinted toward Ramis, growling and barking.

"I don't think so," Ramis said, vaulting up and over the dog, bringing her foot down hard on... the ground. The dog had managed to evade her attack just before it connected. "It's fast!"

"Goshin, Soku, watch out!" Banbo shouted from his position in the air.

Goshin and Soku cried out, startled, as the dog sailed like a missile toward them. They darted in opposite ways.

"Banbo, let's get the Dragon Ball and get out of here!" Ramis shouted, running after the dog.

"Koroger, don't let them get that ball!" Chasim commanded, waving the bone through the air.

The dog spun on one of its heels and sped toward Banbo, who was descending into the crater to search for the ball. It growled, baring its white fangs and it leaped, crashing into Banbo and sending both crashing to the ground.

Banbo grunted. "You dirty mutt," he said, standing and shaking his head. Then his eyes widened. The dog was staring directly at him, but just past its ear, Banbo could see the Dragon Ball, half-buried in the dirt.

He feigned left and then launched himself past the dog's right, slapping the ball high into the air and then flying after it, catching it in his right hand.

"Ramis, catch!" he said, drawing his arm back and flinging the ball at full force.

But the dog jumped, catching the ball in its vast maw. It landed on the ground, growling through its teeth and the ball.

"Oh, great," Ramis said.

"Good work, Koroger, now dispose of these imbeciles, and I'll scratch your belly!" Chasim said.

Koroger's ears perked up at his master's words. He raced forward toward Ramis, tackling her. Banbo dove in to help, slamming into the dog from the side with his shoulder.

"Thanks, Banbo," she said, dusting her gi off.

"No problem," Banbo said, taking a defensive stance.

Koroger rolled over back onto his feet, growling.

"I've gotta help them," Soku said, rushing forward to join Banbo and Ramis.

Koroger rushed at Soku, slipping between his legs, knocking him over, and pinned him down on the ground.

"Soku!" Ramis cried, running toward him. She kicked the dog off Soku, sending him tumbling forward, but Koroger was back on his feet immediately.

"This is one tough mutt," Banbo said.

Then Chasim issued a sudden startled cry. The bone clattered to the ground from his hand, and he collapsed to the ground. Goshin was standing directly behind him, with his hand held flat and tight in the air in front of him.

Goshin stepped forward and grabbed the bone, and the squatted down, holding his arms in front of him.

Even Koroger had stopped to stare at Goshin.

"Come here, boy," Goshin said, smiling.

Koroger immediately dropped the Dragon Ball, and ran to Goshin, knocking him over and licking his face several times. "Koroger, stop it," Goshin laughed, pushing the dog off of himself.

"Here, you just wanted your bone, didn't you, boy?" Goshin said, holding the bone out.

Koroger took it in his jaws and dropped it on the ground. "Yeah," he said, much to the surprise of Goshin, Soku, Banbo, and Ramis.

"I- it talks," Ramis said, her eyes wide.

"Yeah," Banbo said.

"See, Koroger's a good dog. Chasim just had his bone," Goshin said, standing up and giving the victory sign.

"I will follow you to the ends of the earth," Koroger said, licking Goshin on the face again.

"Can I keep him?" Goshin asked.

Ramis rolled her eyes. "I guess. I don't really see why not."

"Yeah, we could use a fast little mongrel like him," Banbo said.

"I don't appreciate the way you talk about me," Koroger said, glaring at Banbo, who raised his hands in front of his shoulders and shook his head.

"Hey, this one has two stars!" Soku said, picking up the amber sphere that Koroger had dropped. Sure enough, there were two red stars suspended in its center.

"All right, let's get on with it. There's one more on the way to Satan City, and apparently, it still has a guardian. The pod's low on fuel, so we'll have to take a car," Ramis said. She folded her hands behind her head. "We can stop somewhere to rest up on the way."

"Now, as for you, Chas-" Banbo began, looking at the spot where Goshin had knocked out the diminutive magician, which was now vacant. "Where'd he go?"

"Oh, that's easy! He's teleported back to his lair," Koroger said.

"Great..." Banbo said. "Now we're gonna have to deal with him again."

* * *

><p>Not long after, Goshin, Soku, Banbo, and Ramis- and their newest companion, Koroger- were speeding along the highway in a hovercar.<p>

Koroger, seated in the back between Goshin and Soku, climbed up over the console, and into Banbo's lap.

"Down, boy! Down!" Banbo said, trying to push Koroger off of him, but the dog wouldn't budge.

Koroger pressed the button to lower the passenger window and stuck his head outside, letting his tongue dance in the wind and saliva spatter the swiftly passing ground below.

"Augh, he just peed on me!" Banbo shouted.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: The Grass Is Always Greener  
><strong>by CaBrPi and Sabbyxx**  
><strong>

"Let's see here," Ramis mumbled to herself, shading the screen of the tablet on her lap. The wind ruffled her black hair and made the grass around her billow like ocean waves. The golden sun hung directly overhead, but most of its light was blocked by the tree she was sitting against.

She glanced over at Banbo, who was sparring at a breakneck pace with Goshin and Soku. They were moving around much faster than the average human being, with Goshin staying to Banbo's left and Soku to Banbo's right. Banbo was managing to block their blows with one hand each, but only just.

Ramis sighed. She'd known that, ever since she had heard that a Son was coming to train with them, it'd only be a matter of time before he'd eclipsed them completely, and it seemed to her that that time was running out quickly. She hadn't imagined, however, that his companion would be able to keep the same pace.

It just didn't seem fair. Here they were, herself and Banbo, having trained hard for years and years, and then those two came along and showed them both up in a matter of months.

But it wasn't Soku's fault. He was, after all, transformed against his will. Perhaps it was his newly-Namekian blood that had allowed him to gain such power so quickly. Namekians were, after all, usually much more powerful than the average human. Sure, some of the warriors of old had surpassed almost all Namekians except one, but those times were long gone. Ramis wasn't sure if she even believed in the old legends anymore.

"Okay," she said to herself, "the Dragon Ball should be due east, according to this map."

They'd been on the trail of the next Dragon Ball for two days now, having driven the several hundred miles from Chasim's dig site to the town they were resting in now. Ramis was very tired, having refused to stop for sleep along the way. In her opinion, the sooner they got done with this wild dragon chase, the sooner they got back to training, and the sooner they got back to training, the better they'd do in the Tenkaichi Budokai in a few months.

Ramis had only participated in one before, but Banbo, she knew, had participated in several, and had one once or twice. It was a fierce competition, allowing no weapons but one's body and the freedom to do anything short of killing one's opponent. The stage was also rather confining, and Ramis' poor footwork had been her downfall the last time she'd participated.

But this time, it would be different. If, that is, they got back to training in time.

"Guys, we need to be heading on," Ramis said, standing up.

She caught sight of Koroger lifting a leg up to relieve himself on a tree.

"Psst! Bad dog! No!" she said, snapping her fingers at him.

Koroger lowered his leg and tucked his tail between his legs, pouting.

"Sorry, but you can't do that in the park," she said.

"I know, but I really want that tree," Koroger said.

"Well, you'll have to use the restroom, like everyone else," Ramis said.

"Fine," Koroger said, standing up and loping off to the restroom stalls, which were located in a wooden building near the edge of a baseball diamond.

She turned to see Banbo, Soku, and Goshin still sparring. Goshin finally managed to get a hit in on Banbo, slamming his fist into Banbo's face and knocking him to the ground.

Banbo rubbed his cheek and stood, smiling. "Great effort, you two. If I don't watch out, you'll pass me before long," he said.

Ramis put her hands on her hips and began tapping her toes. "Done yet?" she asked.

"What?" Banbo, Goshin, and Soku all asked in unison.

_Oh no, there's three of him now,_ Ramis thought, running her fingers through her bangs.

* * *

><p>"According to the map, the ball isn't far from here," Ramis said, holding the map in one hand and the steering wheel in the other. "And once we get it, it's straight to the Son family home in Satan City."<p>

Goshin and Soku both cheered.

"It's not much farther up the road. In fact, it appears to be located at a small cottage just off the highway," Ramis said.

"You mean that?" Soku asked, pointing at a gravel road to the right of the highway just ahead.

Ramis slammed on the breaks, cursing under her breath, and flipped the blinker on.

It seemed more like a green hallway than a road. The trees framing either side of the road grew together thickly, giving the impression of strong, brown-painted walls, and the greenery above was thick enough to noticeably darken the road compared to the highway. Koroger stared out the back windshield curiously, his lolling tongue dripping heavy drops of saliva on the gray-blue upholstery, tail wagging and slapping Banbo in the face with each pass. Banbo simply pursed his lips in irritation, saying nothing.

"It's just ahead, according to the map," Ramis said.

"But I don't see anything," Soku said.

Ramis sighed. "We're trying to find the Dragon Balls to wish you human again, Soku, not to have the power of _sight_."

"Sorry, Mom," Soku said, rolling his eyes.

"The place is probably on the _other_ side of all these trees," Ramis said.

"Oh."

Sure enough, Ramis was right. They came to the end of the road shortly, revealing a small gravel driveway and a modest cottage nestled next to a flowing stream. There was a large wooden pinwheel on the side of the round, white home, spinning as its paddles were pushed along by the river's currents, apparently providing it with electricity.

And then the car exploded.

Goshin, Soku, Banbo, Ramis, and Koroger were scattered around the small clearing by the explosion, but were unharmed, aside from a few scrapes.

"What the hell was that?" Banbo shouted, dusting himself off and standing up.

"Gee, Banbo, I'm sorry for blowing up our car!" Ramis countered.

"Look!" Soku said, pointing upward at the sky.

A silhouetted figure was hovering just inside the brass ring of the sun. "What the hell do you people think you're doing here?" the figure asked with a gruff voice.

Goshin gulped.

Banbo was the first to answer. "Please forgive us, sir. We didn't mean to intrude," he said, placing his palms together and bowing respectfully. Ramis did the same. Goshin and Soku followed their lead.

"Oh, really? Is that so?" the figure chided. "Then how do you explain this?" Suddenly, the figure's arm extended, almost like a rubber band, snatching the glass map from Ramis' hands.

Even though the arm had snapped back into its normal position less than a second after it had first stretched out, Goshin saw that it had green skin and yellow musculature, like Soku. Like a Namekian.

The Namekian slowly descended from the ring of the sun, revealing himself. His skin was slightly darker than Soku's, and what was normally smooth on a young Namekian was wrinkled on him, and the yellow of the skin over his bulging muscles was washed out, like fabric left out in the sun too long. He was wearing simple clothing, a red vest, blue sash, and white pants, with a small brown sack hanging from his hip. He frowned, glaring at them with his large, yellowed eyes.

"What do you children want with the Dragon Balls?" he demanded, crossing his arms.

"Sir, all we want is to return our friend here to his original form," Banbo said, indicating Soku.

The Namekian scoffed. "Original form? The boy is a Namekian, is he not?"

"I'm a human, but a wizard cast a spell on me that changed me into a Namekian," Soku said, staring at the ground at the elder Namekian's feet.

The Namekian's arm extended once again, fingers grasping Soku by the chin and forcing him to look up. "You look at me when you speak to me," he said.

"Yes sir," Soku yelped, forcing himself to keep his eyes on the old Namekian.

"I don't agree with this idea of changing you back, boy," the Namekian said, folding his hands behind his back and starting to pace. "In fact, I'm insulted by the idea. And even if I did agree with you wanting to regain your humanity, to use the Dragon Balls for such a small ordeal..."

"So you won't give us your Dragon Ball?" Banbo said.

A bird took flight somewhere nearby.

"Give it to you?" the Namekian said, chuckling. "I don't _give_ things away. If someone wants this Dragon Ball, he must prove himself to me. Such is the way of Namek. And I don't agree with your motives, so that's already a strike against you."

Goshin's heart felt like it was dropping into his stomach at the old Namekian's words.

"But Kami himself has been watching you, and he is filled with delight at your courage. He says that is the reason for the Dragon Balls' existence. I may not agree with him, but I will defer to his judgment."

Goshin's heart leaped. Did this guy know what was going on after all?

"Then this Kami... He's the one who created the Dragon Balls?" Ramis asked.

The old Namekian rolled his eyes and scoffed again. "Don't you know anything about your own planet? The Kami is the supreme overseer of Earth. _He_ didn't create the Dragon Balls. His grandfather did. But he sustains them with his own energies. The Grand Elder of Namek does the same, though he is not a Kami," he explained.

He stopped pacing and dropped his arms to his sides. "I am Poya. I was born four hundred and twenty-three Earth years ago on New Planet Namek. I came to Earth three hundred years ago, seeking seclusion from Namek's booming trade economy. I have been a Dragon Ball guardian for two hundred years. Now, show me your courage! Prove to me you are worthy of the Six-Star Ball!"

"Oh crap," Ramis said, taking an offensive stance.

She and Banbo were off in a flash, putting Poya on the defensive. Or so they thought.

Poya easily ducked under Ramis's chop and side-stepped Banbo's uppercut. Poya launched himself into the air, swiping his hand out in front of himself, sending several ki blasts randomly at the two.

"Feel free to join in anytime, guys!" Ramis said to Goshin and Soku.

Soku shook himself out of his stupor and joined the battle.

"Almost impressive," Poya said, avoiding Soku's blows with incredible speed and agility. "You possess incredible power, though you are untrained in using it! It's a shame, if you had been _born_ a Namekian, you would have been trained as a warrior from birth! You would surpass even me by a vast margin!" With that, he created a shockwave using his ki, a pulse of energy that tossed Soku, Banbo, and Ramis onto their backs.

"But you do not," Poya finished.

Then Koroger rushed in, attempting to tackle Poya.

"Bad dog," Poya said, side-stepping Koroger's attack and back-handing his ribcage, causing the dog to yelp.

But Koroger landed on his feet, hackles raised, fangs bared, growling, and he turned to face Poya again. He launched himself at the old Namekian again, howling with excitement. Poya avoided the attack again, but Koroger swiftly rebounded, spinning on his heel and slamming into Poya's torso.

Poya remained standing, however, and grabbed Koroger by the ribcage and tossed him several meters away. Koroger stumbled back up to his feet, shaking his head to clear his vision, and attacked again, this time joined by Banbo, Ramis, and Soku.

Poya effortlessly avoided the flurry of fists and feet, moving so quickly it was as if he was incorporeal, and slipped away before a single blow was landed.

"He's so fast!" Banbo said, huffing and puffing.

"How... are we... supposed to... beat him?" Ramis said, also breathing heavily.

"Aren't you four being trained by Kame-Sen'nin? You should have better ki control than this elementary level!" Poya said.

"Soku, you take him head on. I'll circle around to his back. Banbo, you come in from above," Ramis whispered. "Go!"

Poya smirked. "Trying a little strategy this time, I see. Good. That might get you close," he said.

Soku rushed the old Namekian, swinging wildly. Poya countered, intercepting each strike precisely with the palm of one hand, using the other to block Ramis' attack as she attempted to strike at his back.

He looked up at Banbo, who was flying in to join them, and fired a burst of ki from his mouth. Banbo's eyes widened and he swerved in mid-air to dodge this attack, inadvertently crashing into a tree, before falling to the ground.

"That hurt," he said, rubbing his forehead and blinking several times.

"I could have sworn there were four disciples," Poya said. "I must wonder why only three have joined the battle."

Soku looked back at Goshin, who flinched slightly. "Goshin? What are you doing?" he said. "We need your help!"

Goshin simply stood there, trembling.

"Goshin, what's wrong?" Soku asked, furrowing his brow.

Goshin still didn't respond. Soku shook his head, returning his attention to the battle, which he joined promptly.

_Look at me,_ Goshin thought. _I'm such a baby. I can't even help my best friend out._

Images flashed through his mind: of their early days on Kame-Sen'nin's planet, both beaten and bruised after the day's intense training, wearing heavy weights in the shape of a turtle's shell; of their days in Kindergarten, red-faced toddlers, covered in finger paints; and then of their return trip to Earth, the encounter with Chasim's workers, and the mysterious suited man.

_I've got to get over this! There's got to be a way to stop this guy! Some weakness, something! This guy's gotta be as strong as the Great Demon King Piccolo that Goku fought. We can't fight him head-on!_

"Don't think I cannot hear your strategizing!" Poya shouted. Goshin looked up, seeing Soku, Banbo, and Ramis standing near each other again. "I can hear your every breath!"

_That's it! The ears!_

"Turn back, turn away," Poya continued, causing Goshin to stop. "You're not nearly strong enough to claim this Dragon Ball!"

"Soku! Cover your ears!" Goshin shouted. Soku turned, confused, but complied.

"Okay!" Soku said. "Whatever you're gonna do, Goshin you'd better do it soon!"

Goshin let a scream erupt from his lungs, scalding his throat, as he rushed toward Poya.

Poya's face paled, and his eyes squinted slightly. One ear twitched. He braced himself, spreading his feet apart to a proper stance.

Goshin's good arm became a blur as he launched his assault on the powerful Namekian.

Poya grunted, as he blocked one of Goshin's punches. "Very clever! It seems your forefathers' intellect in battle has not waned through the generations!"

"Then you know who I am?" Goshin said, allowing his barrage to cease.

"I know all about you," Poya said. "You are the youngest of the Son family, descended from the great warrior Son Goku. That is where you draw your power from!"

Poya struck, punching Goshin in the chest, sending him tumbling back.

Goshin quickly rebounded, drawing in a deep breath and beginning to scream again. Ramis and Banbo joined in as well. The three came at Poya one after the other, first Goshin, then Ramis, then Banbo, and then Goshin again, all straining their throats to take advantage of Poya's weakness to loud sounds.

Then Poya took to the air, drawing away from the three disciples, but Goshin, taking his chance, turned to Banbo. "Throw me up there!"

Without a word, Banbo grabbed Goshin's good wrist and hurled him at Poya. Goshin sailed through the air, almost flying, and, as Banbo and Ramis continued to shout, cupped his hands at his sides. "KA... ME... HA... ME..." he cried above the wind. Just before he came within arm's length of Poya, he unleashed the mighty Kamehameha, screaming the final syllable, "HAAAAAA!"

All in the space of a few fractions of a second, Goshin broke off his attack, which had scorched some of Poya's clothing, grabbed the brown sack from Poya's hip, and pulled the Dragon Ball from inside it.

Poya took it back.

As Goshin began to fall back to the ground, Poya spun in mid-air and extended his arm, swatting Goshin out of the air and reclaiming the Dragon Ball in one smooth movement.

But then Poya felt a heavy blow to the side of his head, and a green hand slipped past his face, wrenching the Dragon Ball from his grasp, and retreating.

As Banbo and Ramis fell quiet, they turned to see Soku retracting his own arm, with the Dragon Ball in hand. He looked queasy, but smiled when he saw clearly the amber sphere in his hand. There were six red stars in its center.

But everyone's attention returned to Poya when they heard his feet touch the ground. He frowned for a moment, but then broke into a hearty laugh.

"Well done! I was quite surprised! What an unexpected and brilliant move!" he said.

Goshin grunted, pulling his head out of the hole it had been stuck in after his crash-landing.

"So we won?" he asked, dazed.

"You've passed my test!" Poya said, smiling. "I have been concerned with the lack of powerful fighters since the days of Son Goku and his allies, but you five have shown me that my fears may be unfounded."

Ramis, Banbo, Soku, Goshin, and Koroger stood, dumbfounded.

After a few seconds, Ramis broke the silence, which was quickly becoming awkward. "So, just like that? After Soku... _hits_ you, you're giving us the Dragon Ball?"

"Not just because I was struck. Soku used his Namekian powers to take the ball from me, earning it!" Poya said.

"But... Goshin took the ball from you first," Ramis said.

"And I took it back," Poya said simply.

Banbo and Ramis glanced at each other for a splitsecond. "Whatever," they said in unison.

"Sir, thank you so much for allowing us to have the Dragon Ball," Banbo said, "but, with all due respect, we need to be heading to Satan City."

"Of course," Poya said. "But it is my wish to accompany you for the purpose of further training Soku to utilize his newfound abilities."

"Oh... kay..." Ramis said.

"But I won't have them before long," Soku said.

Poya simply ignored him and disappeared through the door of his cottage.

"Weirdo," Ramis said, placing her hands on her hips.

A few minutes later, the disciples of Kame-Sen'nin, along with Koroger left Poya's cottage behind in another new capsule car, with the new addition of the old Namekian himself.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Home  
><strong>by CaBrPi and Black Sabby**  
><strong>

Satan City was exactly as Goshin remembered it. There was very little ground traffic, aside from a few bike-riders and a few pedestrians here and there. The aerial lanes, however, were more clogged than a McSpacely's spokesperson's arteries.

Thankfully, the Turtle School students, their dog, and their new Namekian companion were traveling in a wheeled ground vehicle. The yellow car was a rather tight fit, especially with Poya accompanying them, but they'd managed to all squeeze in, with Ramis driving, Banbo in the passenger seat, and Goshin, Soku, and Poya all in the back seat, with Koroger laying happily across Goshin and Soku's laps, hanging his head over the top of the door.

The top was down, and the wind was blowing through everyone's hair. Everyone that had hair, that is. Koroger's tongue lolled about in the wind, spattering saliva all over everything.

"My arm hurrrts," Goshin whined.

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have tried that Kamehameha with it in a cast!" Ramis said.

Poya coughed several times. "Air like this is why I live so far away from civilization! I remember back on Planet Namek, where the air was always fresh, crisp, and clean, no matter how industrialized the cities became!"

Ramis rolled her eyes. "Listen, you wanted to come along on this little quest of ours, we didn't invite you. This is _not_ a nursing home!" she shouted over the wind.

"Ramis," Banbo said, "let's not upset the ultra-powerful Namekian, okay?"

Ramis rolled her eyes again. "Whatever."

"Ramis, what's gotten into you? I mean, I know you don't really care for Goshin or Soku, but... Did someone piss in your cereal?" Banbo said.

Ramis shot a death-glare at Banbo. "Well, _maybe _if you'd get a _driver's license_ I wouldn't be so exhausted!"

"Ramis," Banbo said, "we're all tired-"

"I'm hungry!" Goshin chimed in.

"Goshin's hungry, we're all cramped-"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Ramis snapped, "I didn't realize it was so tough riding halfway around the world in the _passenger's seat_! And, you know what- eh, I could use a bite to eat, too."

"Let's go there!" Goshin said, pointing at his favorite cafe ahead.

"Fine," Ramis said, slowing the vehicle to a halt next to the curb in front of the cafe. Dark bags were visible under her eyes.

"Goshin!" the bartender said warmly as they entered the cafe. "How are ya? How's High School treatin' ya? Or are ya still on summer vacation?"

"Heya, old timer!" Goshin replied cheerfully. "I think it's still summer vacation, but I don't know." The man furrowed his brow and seemed like he was about to speak when Goshin added, "I'm not going to school here anymore."

"Oh yeah, I remember now. Your dad did the same thing," the man said, stroking his whiskers. "So, the usual?"

"No," Goshin said, "just ten."

"Ten loaded hamburgers, comin' right up!" the bartender said, scribbling the order down on a piece of paper and slamming it down on the counter separating the dining area from the kitchen.

"Loaded... with what?" Ramis said.

"Fries, bacon, gravy, shrimp, chicken strips, two fish tacos, and a steak," Soku answered, counting off on, and very nearly running out of, his fingers.

Banbo and Ramis's eyes went wide.

"And he's gonna eat _ten_ of 'em?" Banbo said.

"I wish I didn't ask," Ramis said.

"And for the rest of ya?"

"I'll have a glass of water," Soku said.

The barman looked at Soku appraisingly for a few seconds. "S... Soku? Is that you?"

Soku looked back at the man, apparently confused. "Yeah... what do you mean?"

"The costume, kid. What're you wearin' it for?"

"Oh," Soku said, looking down at his clothing and his green hands. "It's not a costume. A wizard turned me into a real Namekian."

The barman took a minute to reply. "Oh... okay."

"I'll just have a glass of water, too," Poya said. "Thanks."

"I'll try one of those loaded hamburgers," Banbo said, eliciting a disgusted look from Ramis.

"I'm not hungry," Ramis groaned, frowning.

* * *

><p>Half an hour later, they were walking out of the cafe. Goshin had downed all ten of his burgers in less than fifteen minutes, Poya and Soku had both downed six or seven glasses of water, and Banbo had finished half of his burger- itself quite an accomplishment.<p>

Ramis's stomach growled audibly.

"Why didn't you eat anything?" Banbo asked.

"You're disgusting," Ramis said, hurrying back to the car.

Banbo's attention was attracted by a group of giggling girls walking on the sidewalk nearby. He stopped, saying, "Hey, I'll catch up later."

"Just don't get yourself arrested again," she said in a low voice.

"Relax," Banbo said, lacing his fingers together behind his head and putting on a grin before strutting off to join the girls.

"Creep," Ramis muttered, shaking her head and unlocking the car doors. "All right, Goshin, how do we get to your house from here?"

"Uh," Goshin said, looking around. "It's that way." He pointed northeast.

Ramis sighed, opening the door and sidling in. "But how do we get there?"

"Oooohhhh," Goshin said. "Keep going down this road."

* * *

><p>There were sirens wailing somewhere close. Goshin wondered where they were, where they were going.<p>

The car was passing through a residential neighborhood in Satan City, nearing the Son family house. And it seemed the closer they came, the louder the sirens got.

Goshin's chest felt heavy. Everyone had gone silent, and Koroger had even stopped hanging his head over the side of the car. He seemed to sense Goshin's growing apprehension.

He looked at Soku, who looked back at him with a blank stare.

It wasn't very logical to assume his parents were hurt or anything like that. He knew it wasn't. But he couldn't help but worry that something was wrong. Even if it wasn't his parents, it could be one of the neighbors, who Goshin had known for a long time.

And then they turned the corner. Goshin's heart dropped. There were several police vehicles outside of his house, lights flashing. An ambulance backed up into the driveway.

Goshin unbuckled his seat belt and leaped from the car, bounding forward several meters at a time until he reached his front yard.

He gasped in shock as two paramedics dressed in blue carried his mother out through the front door on a stretcher.

"Mom!" he screamed. "Mom!"

Her eyes were closed and she was completely still. She didn't answer. Goshin couldn't tell if she was unconscious or...

"What happened to my mom!" Goshin cried, biting his lip and trying to hold back a flood of tears.

"We're trying to work that out," a police officer said, putting his hand on his shoulder. "We received a 911 call from one of the neighbors... said they heard a commotion and saw the door bashed in."

Goshin shivered. "Where's my dad?"

"He's still inside the house. Not nearly as banged up as your mother," the officer answered.

Goshin darted away, inside the house, as Son Rushan was loaded up into the ambulance, which sped away into the afternoon.

The inside of the house looked like a warzone. Pictures were sitting on the floor, frames cracked and glass shattered. Furniture was upturned and smashed to pieces. There were papers and pieces of porcelain all over the floor.

"Dad!" Goshin said, finding his father sitting on the remains of the tan-upholstered couch. "What happened?"

Son Taicho's head was in his hands. He glanced up at his son standing there. His arms were covered in bruises and his pants were bloodied. "He took it."

Goshin felt like he could throw up. He looked at the glass case where the four-star Dragon Ball was usually kept on display. The case was shattered, its pieces cast all over the carpet. The ball itself was gone.

"Who did? Who did this, Dad?" Goshin asked.

"Goshin!" someone cried out.

Goshin turned around to see Soku, Ramis, Poya, and Koroger standing in the doorway to the living room.

"Goshin, what happened here?" Soku said.

"Oh my God... Is everyone all right?" Ramis said.

"Big fight," Koroger added.

Poya simply crossed his arms, remaining silent.

"It was a man," Taicho said. He coughed violently, hacking several times before managing to stop. He groaned.

"He... he said he was here for the Dragon Ball," Taicho continued after a few moments. "We said we'd give him the test. He said he didn't have the time for tests."

"Was it a little man wearing a cloak?" Ramis asked.

"You mean Chasim? No. This man was much taller. Much stronger," Taicho said.

"Where is he now, Dad?" Goshin said.

Taicho pointed toward the back of the house. "Your mother... tried to stop him. She used everything she had. Even the Nyoi-bo."

"Out the back?" Goshin said, not waiting for an answer. He darted around the corner toward the laundry room, where the back door was. Or rather, where it used to be. Goshin found it severed from the doorway, much like the front door.

"Goshin! Wait!" Taicho shouted from the living room.

"Do as your father commands, boy!" Poya boomed. Goshin dodged his extending grasp, following a trail of bloody tracks and leaping over the fence enclosing the back yard. The tracks led left down the alley, so Goshin sprinted after them.

_Where is he?_ Goshin thought to himself, clenching his jaw. He could feel the flames of anger stoking in his chest.

The tracks, which gradually faded and grew harder to follow, led Goshin down the alley and out onto a road. After a few minutes, Goshin finally saw a silhouetted figure in the distance. Using his ki to boost his speed, he quickly caught up with the fleeing man.

When Goshin saw who he was he gasped.

The man was tall and slender, wearing a black business suit, black gloves, and a black bowler hat. The man stopped, surveying Goshin.

"It... it's you," Goshin said, his heart pounding. "You... stopped the guy, didn't you? The one that hurt my mom and dad and stole our Dragon Ball."

The man gazed into Goshin's eyes. Goshin shivered again.

"No," the man answered.

Goshin froze, his mouth slightly agape. "W- what do you mean?"

"I need this Dragon Ball," the man said. "Your mom and dad were in my way."

"B- but you said... you said innocent bystanders shouldn't get hurt," Goshin said.

The man smiled. "Oh, so you remember. Yes, I did say that, and it's true." Then the man took on a much darker tone. "But your parents weren't innocent bystanders."

Goshin clenched his good fist.

"Then... then... you..."

"Killed her? Maybe. I didn't check. Anyone who gets in my way shall be dealt with accordingly."

Goshin started breathing heavily. His abdomen tightened and he clenched his fist tighter.

Then he snapped. The flame roared up inside him and he lunged forward, thrusting his fist at the man's face.

But the man caught Goshin's punch easily, and squeezed Goshin's fist.

Goshin screamed in agony as the bones in his hand let out a loud crunch.

"You monster!" Goshin screamed, his voice cracking, as he leaped up into the air, kicking with his right leg. The man raised his arm up to counter, smashing Goshin's shin. Goshin screamed again, falling to the ground.

"Do not trifle with me, boy. If even a mere child attempts to stand in my way, he will be punished harshly."

Goshin gasped, gritting his teeth. The pain in his hand and his leg were nearly unbearable. "Why are you doing this?"

"Why should I tell you?" the man chided, kicking Goshin in the stomach and sending his bouncing several meters away. Goshin screamed in pain again. "They say that Kandor is the strongest... But even if that may be, it's not enough."

Goshin whimpered, laying in a heap on the ground in the road.

It seemed that hours passed before Soku and the others arrived, but Goshin figured it was really only a few seconds.

"Oh, no!" Soku cried, rushing to his friend's side and kneeling down.

"Goshin," Ramis said.

"S... stop him..." Goshin managed to say.

"Who? Stop who?" Soku asked.

"He's-" Goshin began, lifting his head off the ground but finding that Kandor has disappeared. "He's gone..."

"This is bad," Koroger said, walking over to Goshin and laying down beside him. "I'll carry him."

"No, we need an ambulance," Ramis said.

Goshin shut his eyes tightly. He didn't want to see anyone's faces.

That man... Kandor... Why had he done this? He had saved Goshin and Soku before. Hadn't those miners mentioned a Kandor? Why would their own boss beat them up?

Goshin had no idea. He just didn't know anymore.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: The Clouds of War**

This wasn't the first time Goshin had been in a hospital bed this week. It was, however, the first time he wasn't sharing it. Goshin's mother, Son Rushan, was in a different room. Last he had heard, she was still in a coma.

Why had this happened? The bad guys weren't supposed to win. But he had. And now the four-star ball was gone, and, with it, all hope of returning Soku to his original form.

The door burst open and Muten-Dashi himself came through it. "Oh! Goshin! You've been given quite the beating... again!" he squawked. Soku, Ramis, and Banbo all stood from their seats in the corner of the room and bowed respectfully.

"Master, if I may ask, what are you doing here?" Banbo said.

"I left as soon as I heard from Taicho," Kame-Sen'nin explained. "I had no idea there were others out there who knew about the Dragon Balls. I mean, I always figured, but... Anyways, I'll have a hamburger, medium-well, with french fries and a diet Dr. Spacely."

"Uhh, master? This isn't a restaurant," Ramis said, tapping the old man on the shoulder.

"What do you mean? Of course it's not!" Kame-Sen'nin said, spreading his arms wide and spinning around. "This is a hospital! I was just ordering some hospital food!"

Ramis placed the palm of her hand against her forehead. "Right."

"Anyways, Goshin, Soku, I have special news for both of you," Kame-Sen'nin began, ushering Soku over to stand next to the bed Goshin was laying in.

"I met Poya when I arrived, and we both agree that it is in your best interests to intensify your training immediately if you want any chance of getting the rest of the Dragon Balls. This Kandor fellow will probably be going after more than just the one he currently has, after all," he said, pacing back and forth in front of the bed.

"What? You mean we're still gonna do it?" Soku said.

"Of course!" the old man said. "You think one strong enemy is going to stop you? Don't forget about Son Goku, who faced enemies many times stronger than this Kandor, and never batted an eye!"

Goshin smiled. "There's just one problem, master," he said.

"What's that?"

And, with his grin as large as ever, Goshin said, "My legs are broken."

Everyone else in the room clapped the palms of their hands to their foreheads.

"That's not a problem, Goshin!" Kame-Sen'nin said, reaching into his pocket and producing a single dull green bean. He stepped over to Goshin's side and held it out to him. "Eat this."

"Okay," Goshin said, snatching the bean and gulping it down.

The effects were immediate: Goshin felt a warm, tingling sensation spreading throughout his body, starting in his stomach and expanding to his arms, legs, and head. He could feel his face lightening, his eyes opening wider, and the pain in all of his broken bones disappearing. Before he even knew he had moved, he was standing up on his bed and flexing his muscles, shattering his casts and splitting his bandages and casting them to the floor.

Then he noticed Ramis blushing and turning away.

"Huh? Is something wrong?" Goshin asked.

"Uh, Goshin," Banbo said, looking Goshin very specifically in the eyes. "You ripped your hospital gown."

Goshin looked down, and he was, in fact, naked.

* * *

><p>Goshin and Soku grunted, sweat streaming down their shining bodies, as they launched punch after punch at each other, each catching the other's attacks with the palms of their hands. Their arms were blurs, though, invisible to the untrained eye. Perfectly visible to each other.<p>

Perfectly visible, as well, to Kame-Sen'nin and Poya, who both watched with arms crossed, frowning.

Goshin hit hard, slamming his knuckles against Soku's ribs, and Soku fell hard to the ground. Goshin looked down at him, and in that split-second, Soku spun himself on his hip, toppling Goshin and raising himself to his feet.

Goshin rebounded quickly, slamming headfirst into Soku's torso, sending them both tumbling to the ground in a heap.

"Stop! All wrong!"

Goshin and Soku immediately halted their sparring match, picking each other up off the ground and dusting themselves off. The warm summer breeze washed over their bare chests and backs, drying the sweat from their skin. Poya had stepped forward, and was holding his forehead in his hand.

"That was terrible, you two! You'll never beat Kandor like that," he said, letting his hand drop back to his side and shaking his head. "No matter how strong you are, there has to be some element of skill, and the two of you are showing none."

Goshin and Soku looked expectantly at Kame-Sen'nin, who also shook his head. "Poya's absolutely right. I'm impressed at how strong the two of you have become, but you're both still unrefined when it comes to skill," he said, his eyes magnified by his glasses.

"What do you mean?" Soku said, frowning.

"Every time you reverse the flow of momentum, you waste energy. I assume Muten-Dashi taught you at least the _basics_ of ki, did he not?" Poya said, folding his hands behind him and turning to the right.

"Yes, but-" Soku began.

"Then you know that ki flows through the body like water."

"Well, yeah-"

"And you know that it takes effort to control that flow."

"Yes-"

Goshin could see Soku starting to turn red, despite his green skin. He wasn't sure where Poya was going with this, though.

"Water _always_ takes the path of least resistance. Ki, unless directed otherwise, does so as well. The flow of battle is similar to this. It takes effort to redirect that flow, effort that is wasted." Poya was holding out one hand in front of himself, pointing one finger at the sky, and his eyes were focused on the tip of it. "In battle, there is no _need_ to redirect the flow. Flow along with the momentum of battle, and you will waste less energy. You don't have infinite stamina, so you must make every ounce of energy you use count."

Poya dropped his hands to his sides again, and he turned to face Goshin and Soku again. Then he gave a smirk. "Now go."

Goshin looked back at Poya. He could just see Soku doing the same.

Poya gestured impatiently. "I said, 'go'."

Goshin realized that Poya was telling them to begin again, and ducked just under a punch from Soku, feeling the wind displaced by the attack. Soku's body continued to follow through, and his feet were no longer rooted to the ground, so Goshin fell back onto his back and kicked Soku into the air with both legs, sending him flying straight up.

Soku tumbled upward through the air before he slowed and then began to fall again. Then he straightened himself out and thrust a fist forward, ready to strike on the way back down. Goshin gave a big grin and stepped out of the way.

His head jerked up when he heard the sounds escape Soku's mouth: "Kamehameha!"

Soku thrust his arms out in the opposite direction from Goshin just short of the ground, propelling himself backward, straight into him.

Goshin felt the air rush out of his lungs and Soku collided with him, and felt the wind on his back as they flew backwards, rushing over the ground at the mercy of gravity and Soku's attack.

Goshin pushed upward with his legs, falling under Soku, letting him shoot past and crash into the ground.

Goshin stood and turned, watching Soku recover, brushing grass and dirt from his shoulders and climbing out of a small crater. He cracked his knuckles, before assuming a stance with one leg positioned in front of the other at shoulders' width and the arms held out to the front and side.

Goshin charged, leaping at Soku with a flurry of fists. Soku took one to the chest, but fell with the force of the blow, kneeing Goshin in the gut and sending him rolling across the ground.

"Better," Poya said.

* * *

><p>Ramis and Banbo were standing nearby with their arms crossed, their eyes following Goshin's movements precisely. Goshin could feel the cool wind at his back and see his ever-lengthening shadow to his right.<p>

Poya towered in front of him against the indigo sky, frowning as ever. Goshin panted, feeling the cool air fill his lungs. It burnt, but it hurt worse to force himself to breathe through his nose. There was a hole in the knee of Goshin's pants and the soles of his shoes were torn, revealing his toes inside.

Every muscle ached horribly. It was a dull pain, almost pleasurable if the wind hadn't been blowing. Despite the wind, sweat was dripping from Goshin's brow, obscuring his vision. He blinked it away, and wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his wrist.

"Ready to go again?" Poya asked, flexing his fingers.

Goshin assumed a stance, nodding.

Poya darted forward, flinging himself at Goshin. Pain erupted in Goshin's cheek as Poya struck him with one arm, swatting him sideways. Goshin cartwheeled, stopping himself and ducking under Poya's second attack, and launching himself upwards to headbutt the old Namekian in the chest.

Poya stumbled backwards, his eyes wide, clutching his chest. Goshin breathed a sigh of relief.

And then Poya disappeared.

Goshin felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his back, and realized he was flying up into the air. "FASTER!" Poya shouted from the ground. And then the world was spinning around him, turning upside-down, and the ground was coming up to meet him.

Goshin reached his arms out, palms flat, and swung his legs to the side at the last second, cartwheeling again. His gaze darted around, searching for flash of green or brown to give away Poya's location.

There he was. Coming at him from the left. Goshin lunged forward, narrowly avoiding Poya's foot. He spun around, reached out, and expelled a golden burst of ki from the palm of his hand. Poya's arms immediately crossed in front of his face, but the bolt exploded in a bright flash of light.

Goshin gasped when Poya was completely unharmed.

"Boy," Poya said, reaching down and grasping Goshin by his hair and lifting him up to face him eye-to-eye, "it'll take more than a few pathetic ki attacks to down me, let alone someone actually trying to kill you."

"I know," Goshin muttered, looking down.

Poya's nostrils flared, and he struck Goshin in the stomach. "Look at me when I address you, boy. I don't care _who_ your ancestors are, it's all the same to me."

He tossed Goshin to the ground, turning his back to him. "You'll never save your mother that way, regardless of your heritage."

Goshin bit his lip, feeling his stomach and chest tighten. His vision was being obscured again, but not by sweat this time. "I know," he croaked, on his hands and knees. He balled one hand into a fist and slammed it into the cool green grass beneath him. "I know." A few tears slid from his eyes down to the tip of his nose, dripping to the ground, reflecting the amber light of the setting sun.

"You're no child of Son Goku. The Saiyans were mighty warriors, born and raised on the field of battle. They fought powerful enemies from the day they were born. Kandor would be nothing to Son Goku. You're just a pampered child who thinks he's a fighter," Poya said, still facing away.

"Mom..." Goshin whispered, trying to blink away the tears. The sound barely escaped his throat. He shut his eyes tightly, taking shallow, sobbing breaths. His body started to shake and he collapsed to his elbows.

"Son Goku wouldn't be crying either. I can hear your tears falling from here," Poya said.

Then Goshin felt a long, slender arm wrap around his shoulders and pull him up to sit on his knees. He opened his eyes, letting a flood of tears flow down his cheeks, and found Ramis there, looking back at him with her dark brown eyes. She put her other arm around him and pulled him in close, patting him on the back.

"There, there. It'll be okay, Goshin," she said tenderly.

Goshin couldn't help but start sobbing audibly. Soku and Banbo had both joined, their arms tight around him.

"We'll always be here for you, Goshin," Banbo said.

"You know it," Soku added.

Goshin shut his eyes again and tried to swallow the lump in his throat, but it only brought more tears. Someone was brushing his bangs out of his face. Someone else was patting him on the shoulder.

Goshin looked up, finding Muten-Dashi standing over them, his hand on the back of Goshin's neck, and Poya standing next to him, a compassionate frown on his face.

Goshin clenched his fist so hard it began to whiten. He thought of Kandor, the would-be hero who took his mother away. The apparition faded into black silently, casting him a glare the whole time.

The fire in his heart leapt. "I'm going to kill him," Goshin said, his cheeks still wet. "I'm going to do it myself. Whatever it takes. Whatever punishment I have to endure."

Above him, Poya grinned. "I've got something in mind."

* * *

><p>The grass and few trees were washed out and given a slight yellow tint in the harsh sunlight. The sky was a light blue, and the clouds had long scattered from the heat. It was hot now, but Goshin knew that, come nightfall, the temperature would drop quickly.<p>

But Soku was there, at his side, and between them, they possessed four Senzu, enough for both of them for twenty days.

The whirr of engines behind him and the gust of air accompanying it told him that Master Kame-Sen'nin's aircraft was leaving. It wouldn't be coming back to pick them up.

There was a light breeze blowing out of what Goshin guessed was the south, and the grass rippled beneath its invisible fingers. Tonight, there would be no feast on which Goshin would gorge himself. No liter-sized jugs of water for Soku. No bed, no heating, no air conditioning. No Banbo or Ramis. Goshin and Soku would have to make due for now.

Poya's last words echoed through Goshin's mind: "Survive."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Unrivaled Courage  
><strong>by CaBrPi

The ground sped past below them as they bounded through the forest. Goshin and Soku ducked under low-hanging branches, darted around trees, and tried not to swallow bugs as they hurtled over the ground at speeds a normal human being would have thought impossible.

They continued this way for a few hours, until the sun began to slip down behind the mountains in the distance far behind them, and the shadow of the earth reached over them like a massive hand.

Goshin sighed, folding his hands together behind his head, and sat on a rotting log. Soku sat opposite him on the ground, against a tree. The sky to the east had been dyed a deep indigo color by the night, speckled with stars twinkling in their solar systems, lightyears away. The grass and trees whispered in the breeze, which dried the sweat from Goshin's forehead.

"So do you think we should make camp or something?" Goshin asked, licking his chapped lips.

Soku shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe we should just keep going. Satan City can't be too much further."

Goshin looked up at the darkening sky. Soon it would be entirely black, the sun having retreated for the night. He half-frowned. "Again? But we did that last night, and I'm _tired_!" Goshin said. "Maybe we can find a bear or something to eat."

Soku cringed. "I don't eat anymore, remember? Especially not bears."

"Oh yeah..." Goshin said, letting his voice trail off. His stomach growled. He _was_ hungry, despite the long-lasting satisfaction Senzu provided. Or, at least, _usually_ provided. And Soku was right. It'd just be Goshin eating. Soku hadn't eaten actual food since his transformation, aside from his first Senzu, and it seemed like Poya never did, either. Probably a Namekian trait. Either way, they only had one Senzu left each, so they had to conserve.

It had already been a week since they'd been left to their own devices. Since then, they'd covered about one thousand miles, by Soku's guess. They'd crossed the ocean, a few mountain ranges, and a desert. That's what they guessed, anyway.

By this point, their clothes had all but disappeared, torn at and shredded by trees branches and limbs, and even a tiger. Goshin was now sporting the skin of that same tiger. One half hung from one shoulder, baring half of his chest, down past his waist, partway down his thighs. The other half hung from around his waist, just past the tops of his kneecaps. He'd tied it all together with a length of string he'd acquired from a generous stranger, though it was now brown and caked with dirt.

Soku's outfit had fared better, though it was now thoroughly saturated with dirt, staining it a dark blue-purple.

"Well, we'll probably get there by tomorrow if we keep going," Soku said, looking up into the sky as well. There was a longing in his face that made Goshin feel ashamed.

"Soku, we'll get them. All of them. We'll get Shen Long to turn you back."

Soku let his gaze fall back on Goshin. His face gave no indication of emotion, and his eyes stared directly into Goshin's. Then he smiled and shook his head slowly. "No. I've decided."

Goshin frowned, furrowing his brow and scratching his head with one hand, letting the other fall to his side. "What do you mean?"

"I'll stay a Namekian, at least for a little while longer. We should use the wish to help your mom, Goshin. And then next time we can change me back," Soku said, letting his gaze drift back to the heavens.

Goshin looked down at his knees. He hadn't thought of it like that. In fact, he'd almost forgotten about his mother during their trip through the wilderness. When Soku put it like that, he could see her knowing smile in his mind. A low-hanging tree limb brushing against the back of his neck felt like her gentle touch. He let out a long, deep sigh, kicking his feet in the air.

Goshin's gaze drifted up to the stars. They seemed to grow slowly but steadily brighter as the sun proceeded down over the horizon. The chirping of crickets filled his ears with a pleasant hum, and the scent of oily forest plants filled his nostrils.

So this was the extent of their friendship. Soku was willing to put aside his old being entirely, just to wake Goshin's mother up. Goshin smiled, still looking at the stars. "Thanks, Soku," he said. He laid his hands over his kneecaps.

At that moment, a scream shattered the peace, followed by the growling snarl of a bear.

Goshin and Soku were immediately on their feet, darting off into the trees toward the source of the sound. The bear's huffing breaths grew louder as they approached, and the scream rang out again.

Now Goshin could hear something scraping- probably the bear's claws on a tree.

After a few short seconds, they came upon it- a large, brown monster of a bear, its head and neck concealed within the branches and leaves of a tree. Several long, yellow claw marks had been left down the thick trunk.

Soku hurled himself at the bear fist-first. There was a sharp crack, and the bear fell limp over Soku's arm.

Goshin stepped to the tree where the bear had been standing, and looked up, finding a boy who couldn't have been more than a year older than Goshin himself. His face was gaunt, cheeks hollow, and there were bags under his eyes. He was very thin, and Goshin could see the outline of his ribs through his green tee shirt.

"It's all right. You can come down now," Goshin said, reaching his hand up. The boy nodded, lowering himself cautiously, inch by inch. Finally, he reached down and grabbed Goshin's hand, and hopped to the ground.

"Thank you," he murmured. He was shaking.

But Goshin wasn't paying attention. He pointed at the body of the dead bear. "Hey, Soku, can I have that?"

* * *

><p>The light of the campfire was warm, and the smell of roasting bear made Goshin's mouth water. The boy they had rescued was sitting on the ground in front of the fire. His eyes were the bright green color of emeralds.<p>

"My name is Soku, and this is Goshin," Soku said, sitting down next to the boy. "We're martial artists."

Then he added, "In training."

The boy looked back and forth between Goshin and Soku. "Thanks for saving me," he said, reaching out to grab a piece of bear meat, roasting on a spit. He pulled, grunting, but it wouldn't come out. Soku pulled it from the ground for him, and handed it to him.

"Thanks," the boy said, taking the stick and tearing a chunk off with his teeth.

"Oh, is it ready!" Goshin said, hopping forward off of his log.

"I guess so," Soku said, shrugging.

"All right!" Goshin ripped the spit holding the largest piece from the ground and tore at it. The meat was burnt slightly on the outside, and tough, but Goshin downed the whole thing in a matter of seconds. He sat, leaning back against the log, patted his stomach, and belched.

A few minutes later, the boy had finished his piece. "My name is Yuki," he said. "It's been a long time since I ate last. Thanks for letting me join you."

"You're welcome," Goshin said. "How come it's been so long since you ate?"

"Well, I'm on a journey, and my rations ran out weeks ago," Yuki said. "I'm looking for more of these." Yuki reached into a small, dirty bag and pulled out, of all things, a Dragon Ball. Six red stars were arranged in a circle, with the seventh in the very center.

"That's a Dragon Ball!" Goshin and Soku exclaimed in unison.

"Yeah... How'd you guys know?" Yuki asked, looking back and forth again.

"Well, we're lookin' for 'em, too," Goshin said. "What are you gonna wish for?"

Yuki looked down at the base of the fire, taking a deep breath. "I hail from a village on the plains to the northwest of here. We were a prosperous little town of farmers, and we all grew more than enough to feed ourselves, so we sold all of the excess.

"But then, some months ago, a wizard came to the village. He was a scrawny little man who looked like a bug of some sort-"

"Chasim," Soku spat.

"That was his name," Yuki said, nodding. "Someone angered him, and so he recited some spell, and, slowly, the rains began to stop coming. Now the ground is dry and the crops are all dying. We can barely feed ourselves now. So, after hearing about the legend of the Dragon Balls, I set out with what food the village could afford to spare, with nothing but legend to guide me. I found this one after searching the desert for a week, and now I am here, searching for the next one."

The crickets chirped on.

"Wow," Goshin said. "You're really brave, going off alone like that."

Yuki glance up for a second. "But I'm powerless to do anything!" he said, his voice rising to a shout and pounding a fist into the ground. "I'm not strong enough, not like you guys. All I can do is run away. I can't kill a bear with a single blow."

Goshin looked at the ground. The bear had left a funny aftertaste in his mouth, so he spat. "Well," he said, looking at Yuki, "you could come with us."

Soku nodded in agreement. "Yeah! Maybe Master Muten-Dashi will accept you as a student. Then you can be as strong as we are."

Yuki seemed to brighten up at this. "Really? Do you think he'd actually take me on?" Then his voice dropped again. "But I need to find the Dragon Balls first.

"Oh, I almost forgot! Why are you two looking for them?" he said.

Goshin and Soku both fell silent for a moment. Then Soku spoke up, recalling the events that had transpired and led them to their current situation.

"Oh," Yuki said. "Then why do you want me to come with you? Our goals are incompatible. If I go with you, and we do collect all the Dragon Balls, who will get the wish?"

"We'll figure it out," Goshin said.

"We'll set out for Satan City in the morning. Yuki, one of us will have to carry you if we wanna get there tomorrow. We'll take turns, maybe," Soku said.

"Are you sure? I mean-" Yuki started.

"No, it's no problem! We've been training on Kame-Sen'nin's planet, and it has twice the gravity of Earth, _and_ we wore heavy turtle shells while we did," Soku said, grinning. "But now, let's go to sleep."

* * *

><p>When Goshin awoke that morning, he found Yuki, his face already looking fuller, sitting up in a tree, watching the sun break over the eastern horizon.<p>

"Oh, you're up," he said, his voice ringing more clearly.

Goshin smiled. "I guess you're feeling better," he said.

Yuki looked back at the rising sun. "Yes. Much better. Soku gave me one of those magic beans after you went to sleep."

Goshin furrowed his brow. "He did? I thought we weren't going to eat 'em unless we had to... Oh well!" He grinned again, scratching the back of his head with his hand.

Then his face hardened as he became serious again. "Hey, Yuki, what do you want to do after we find all the Dragon Balls?"

Yuki shrugged, still gazing at the brightening eastern sky. "I'm not sure. I might travel with you to your master's planet and train."

Goshin thought for a moment, letting Yuki's words sink in. "Don't you want to go home? Don't you want to just live a regular life after you save everybody?"

Yuki smiled. "Of course I want to go home after this is over. But if I am to live a normal life, then I must be strong enough to protect the ones I love. Then I can live in peace with my friends and family. That's how I will achieve my dream of peace."

Goshin's face softened. Peace. The word sounded so odd to Goshin now, yet he couldn't help but feel a certain want. Yes. That was what he wanted right now. He could feel it in his heart, that deep pressure of longing.

But to bring peace, he would have to stop Kandor's evil plans, and to do that, he would have to be strong enough to defeat Kandor himself.

"I see. That makes a lot of sense," Goshin said, looking down at the base of Yuki's tree.

"You guys ready to go or what?"

Goshin turned to see Soku sitting up, looking at them both sleepily. A few small bits of dirt had stuck to his face.

"Yeah, let's go," Goshin said. "We've got a job to finish."

And so Goshin and Soku began to head north on the final leg of their journey, stopping every so often to switch their passenger between them. They ran for only a few hours before finally arriving at Satan City once again.

The city stretched toward the heavens, like the gray hand of a giant. The sky had filled with dark clouds, but the air was still, and punctuated by the subtle smell of hovercar exhaust. A low, quiet rumble of thunder rolled in over the city from the distance. Goshin could feel the hairs on his arms standing up, and the goosebumps erupting across his skin.

The air finally began to move in a light, cool breeze that carried the scent of ozone as another rumble of thunder arrived in their ears.

The three walked on the sidewalk, beneath the stacked layers of traffic, with Goshin and Soku walking side-by-side, and Yuki just behind them, having elected to walk the remainder of the trip.

They walked through the streets until they arrived at Goshin's home, which was the previously-arranged meeting spot. Goshin opened the newly-replaced door and called out, "I'm home!" before leading the other two inside.

In the living room, Taicho was conversing with Banbo and Ramis about training, Poya and Muten-Dashi were engaged in an intense game of chess on the coffee table, and Roola, Keshi, Bun, and Doki were all sitting on the couch, beaming at Goshin and Soku as they arrived.

"Guys, you're all here!" Goshin and Soku said in unison.

"Of course we are!" Keshi said, standing up and giving them both a peck on the cheek.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, bro!" Roola said, standing and high-fiving them both.

Bun and Doki cheered out loud.

"We're all real sorry we couldn't come visit you and your mom in the hospital, Goshin, but they wouldn't let us through," Roola said, shrugging. "But your dad told us you'd be coming back soon and we could wait for you if we wanted."

Goshin smiled, feeling his body relax. This was home. This was peace. This was what he was working so hard toward. The only thing missing was his mother.

"Soku, you feelin' all right? You're lookin' a little green," Roola continued, inciting a round of laughter that even Ramis and Poya couldn't resist.

"But, uh... Who's your new friend?" Roola asked, pointing to Yuki.

"Oh, right!" Soku said, nodding. "Master Kame-Sen'nin, this is Yuki. He's looking for the Dragon Balls as well, but he wants to train with us."

Yuki bowed low. "With all due respect, I beg that the august Muten-Dashi take pity on this wretch and teach him the ways of the martial artist."

Muten-Dashi stood up, surveying Yuki, staring him up and down. Finally, he made a noise in his throat and nodded. "He'll make a fine delivery boy," he said, with an odd, crooked smile. Goshin wasn't sure if he was referring to his business, or having another episode.

Then Poya cleared his throat, and, from his seat, asked the question: "If this boy really is after the Dragon Balls as well, that makes him your rival. Why are you helping him?"

Soku answered. "Master Poya, he already had one of the Dragon Balls in his possession, and me and Goshin think that he'd be of some help on our quest, even though our goals are opposites."

Poya smiled, but it was a cold smile. "Then answer me this, boys: When you succeed, who will get the wish?"


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: The Pieces Fall Into Place  
><strong>by CaBrPi**  
><strong>

Soku felt like his chest was ablaze. He clenched his teeth, drawing his lips back away from them. Air escaped his tight throat in small bursts. His arms were crossed in front of his chest, his fingers folded into fists. He could feel the tingling sensation of his own ki spreading throughout his body, pushing against the inside of his skin.

"That's it," Poya said. "Push. Push it further out, but don't let it escape."

A sound escaped from within Soku's chest, but it wasn't an answer. It was a grunt, followed shortly by another one, each successive sound building upon the last, becoming a growl, and then a scream as Soku pushed his ki further and further.

The grass seemed to grow smaller, and it crowded under his foot. The trees shrunk. Poya and Kame-Sen'nin shrunk. Goshin shrunk as well, letting out a gasp as his eyes gazed upwards, directly at Soku's head.

At last, Soku relaxed, taking in a deep breath of cool air. None of the others remained at their normal heights, at least, not relative to him. Even Poya only rose to his hip.

"You're getting there, at least," Poya said, staring up into Soku's eyes. Poya's brow was furrowed, and the deep lines around his mouth pointed downward in a frown. "You could go bigger."

"I don't think so," Soku said, in a voice he hardly recognized as his own. It had deepened considerably with his increased size. "It was pretty hard getting this far."

Poya grunted, summoning his own ki, expanding his body to twice the size of Soku's in half the time. "I can grow much larger than this," he boomed, glaring down on them all.

"Well, that's great and all," Kame-Sen'nin began, "but there is a reason Piccolo and the other Namekian warriors didn't use this technique often..."

"IS THAT A CHALLENGE!" Poya shouted, waving a fist.

Kame-Sen'nin chuckled. "No, not really. Just a statement of fact."

Poya kneeled down, staring directly into Kame-Sen'nin's eyes, and, for a second, Goshin thought he could see sparks of electricity flying between them.

"Uh, Master Kame-Sen'nin, Master Poya?" Soku said, scratching his temple.

"Senile old fool," Poya grumbled, crossing his arms and turning away from Kame-Sen'nin.

"I'm old? Look who's talking!" Kame-Sen'nin retorted, returning the gesture.

Soku looked down at Goshin, who looked back and shrugged.

It was at that moment that Banbo came crashing down between them, creating a large crater and knocking all four to the ground.

"Oww..." Soku said, rubbing the side of his face and sitting up. He wrapped one arm around himself and yanked a small tree out of his back, where it had been implanted on impact. He looked over and saw Poya picking boulders out of his arms, and Goshin dusting himself off as he stood.

"What happened this time, Banbo?" Kame-Sen'nin asked, before coughing.

"THAT PERVERT TOUCHED ME!" Ramis shrieked from somewhere up above.

Banbo clambered out of the crater, gingerly rubbing his cheek. "Aw, c'mon, Ramis, it was just a friendly little tap! It means 'good job'! You know, like the baseball players do!"

Ramis landed lightly on her feet directly in front of Banbo. "Whatever. Come on, we have a student to teach." She reached up, pinched his earlobe, and led him back off out of sight.

"I wonder how much progress Yuki is making..." Kame-Sen'nin wondered aloud...

* * *

><p>The smell of dog breath was quickly becoming more than Yuki could bear. "Koroger, I know you're excited, but, please, remove your snout from my face," he said, pushing Koroger's face away from his own.<p>

The sheer volume of air passing in and out of his body stung his lungs, and he could feel alternating waves of cold and hot passing through him. His stomach gurgled miserably, and sweat dripped to the ground from his nose. He was shaking slightly, but not from malnutrition.

No, he'd noticed it just as much as anyone: his ribs had filled out, and his arms, chest, and legs were slowly swelling. The pain in his body was no longer one of emptiness; it had transformed into one of healing and growth.

Now if he could just beat this dog in one race...

"Are you ready yet? Come on, I'm just barely getting started!" Koroger whined, scratching the side of his face with a hind leg.

Yuki frowned at the dog, and forced himself to stand to his full height, steadying himself by planting his hands against his hips.

Then he doubled over again and began to vomit.

* * *

><p>"Anyways," Kame-Sen'nin continued, adjusting his glasses, "Goshin, Soku... Poya and I believe that the two of you are almost ready to take on Kandor-"<p>

"Really!" Goshin and Soku said in unison, their eyes going wide and smiles forming on their faces.

Poya nodded. "You've both shown considerable growth over the past few weeks. In truth it's... more than I expected. At least, from you, Goshin. I won't lie, I expected more from Soku. So much power he cannot tap into yet..."

Goshin frowned, and Soku looked down, his green cheeks reddening.

"What Poya means to say is," Kame-Sen'nin interjected, "we're both proud of the progress you've made. But before we go off after the last Dragon Balls, we would like to see the two of you demonstrate your full capabilities in a quick sparring match."

"O- okay," Soku said.

He and Goshin stepped back several paces, and then turned to face each other. The two struck stances, Soku holding his hands open and Goshin with closed fists.

They both narrowed their eyes, focusing intently on each other, seemingly daring each other to strike first.

"Well?" Poya growled. "Get on with it!"

Goshin took the initiative, launching himself forward through a hole in Soku's defenses, lacing his fingers together, and bashing Soku in the back in one swift movement. Soku staggered forward, and then dropped to his hands, swinging his legs up and kicking Goshin into the air.

Soku quickly leapt after Goshin, and the two exchanged several blows in mid-air, arms flashing like lightning, blocking and striking almost faster than Kame-Sen'nin's eyes could track. Goshin managed to orient himself perpendicular to Soku, and pushed off of his chest, landing on the ground with a handspring before resuming his stance.

Soku rolled as he hit the ground, stopping in a kneeling position, and stretched his arm after Goshin, grabbing his forward hand and lifting him up and then slamming him down into the ground.

Goshin coughed, grunting as he hit. Soku retracted his arm, and then hesitated for an instant, before pouncing. The hesitation was just enough to allow Goshin to catch his breath again, and he hopped to his feet before jumping, headbutting Soku in the chest.

Soku staggered backwards, and Goshin darted forward after him, holding his fist back. Soku took a deep breath, and positioned his hands to block the attack, but Goshin let himself fall forwards just an instant short, rolled forward, and sprang upward on his hands, delivering a firm kick to Soku's chin and sending him tumbling backwards.

"Nice feint," Soku said, sounding almost bitter, as he climbed back to his feet, wiping a drip of violet blood from his lips with the back of his hand.

"Thanks," Goshin said, smirking.

"Now," Soku said, holding both hands out slightly to the sides, his fingers curved as if holding a Dragon Ball in each, "let's see you get out of this!"

A low growl began in Soku's chest, growing louder as the veins on the back of his hands began to bulge outward. Kame-Sen'nin could feel the ki flowing into them both, and he couldn't help but crack a grin.

"I call this the Double Yakyu technique!" Soku said, rearing back with one arm, as a yellow ball of light formed in his hand, and tossed the ball at Goshin, who jumped up, over the attack, which flew under him, exploding against the side of a hill.

"Goshin, that was a mistake!" Soku yelled, hurling the second ball, in his left hand, at the airborne Goshin, who, helpless, took the attack in the chest and crashed to the ground.

Kame-Sen'nin hurried over to help Goshin back to his feet. The top half of his gi had been burned off, and his hair and eyebrows were singed, but he seemed to the old man to be in no need of medical attention.

"Excellent, Soku. It's about time you started using strategy in battle, and not just brute force," Poya said, slapping Soku on the back.

"Thank you, Master Poya," Soku said, sighing. "Master Kame-Sen'nin, is Goshin going to be all right? I didn't mean to put so much into that blast."

The Muten-Dashi looked up at Soku, and could see concern in his eyes. He pursed his lip for a second before answering, "Yes, he'll be fine."

"Yeah, I'm all right," Goshin said. "That was a good battle, Soku. Maybe... we can fight again sometime."

The old man breathed a sigh of relief. Soku smiled and said, "Yeah."

* * *

><p>The dining room of the Son residence was, thankfully, large enough to fit Kame-Sen'nin and all five of his students, as well as Koroger, Poya, and Taicho. Goshin had always thought it was weird that their dining room was so big, when it had only been the three Sons living there, but it worked for this situation.<p>

They were all staring down at a large map of the world that had been placed on the table. Three circles had been drawn in red ink on the map: one on a small subcontinent in the far northwest, called Yunzabit; another south of the first, in the forests west of the Western Capital, where the Capsule Corporation headquarters were located; and the final one was far from the others, on a small island in one of the chains in the southeast.

"So," Kame-Sen'nin said, leaning forward, his hands planted firmly around the mountains in the vicinity of the Northern Capital, "this is what Poya and I have planned out: Ramis and Banbo, the two of you will be going to retrieve the ball in the southeastern islands. Goshin, you and Koroger will travel to Karin's sanctuary, and retrieve the ball there. And, lastly, Soku and Yuki will retrieve the ball from Yunzabit.

"Poya and I will remain here, approximately halfway between Goshin and Soku's destinations," the Muten-Dashi explained, pointing at a forested area between the circle over Yunzabit and the one over this sanctuary, whatever that meant.

"The Turtle Hermit and I believe that Kandor possesses a radar similar to the one held by Capsule Corporation, and that is how he was able to track down not only the ball near the Northern Capital, but the one here, as well," Poya said, looking down at the map. "According to our allies at Capsule Corporation, none of the remaining Dragon Balls have moved. We suspect that Kandor is waiting for us to gather the remaining Dragon Balls, and willing to bide his time until he is able to steal them. Of course, he would never risk attacking us all at once, so we're splitting up to draw him out. That is why we are sending both Ramis and Banbo to the southeast. Kandor surely would not risk attacking the invincible Muten-Dashi's two strongest students. Rather, if he is smart, he will try and attack Soku and Yuki or Goshin and Koroger."

"So, how do you know if he does?" Soku asked.

"We will be monitoring the situation through our ability to sense ki. The Turtle Hermit will be watching over Goshin and Koroger, while I will be watching over you and Yuki. If we sense a powerful ki approaching, we will intercept," Poya said, crossing his arms.

Karin's Sanctuary. The words seemed familiar to Goshin, but he could not place them. Most likely, he thought, it was a place mentioned in the tales of Son Goku passed down to him by his father.

Still, he wished that Soku would be the one to go with him, but Poya was right. Kandor would be more likely to come after them if they were alone. It was definitely a gamble: if Kandor failed to show himself, he still had the four-star ball, and nobody would be able to get their wish.

"Master Poya," Yuki said, looking up from the map.

Poya grunted an acknowledgement.

Yuki averted his gaze, though it seemed more out of thought than anything else. "If Kandor appears, and attacks one of us, will you kill him?" He looked back up.

Poya opened his mouth to respond, but ultimately said nothing.

"If we have to," Kame-Sen'nin said, nodding his head. "We will try to subdue him without killing him. It wouldn't do to have to explain his death to the authorities. We'll turn him in. Poya can conjure special handcuffs to hold him."

"But what if he kills one of us first?"

"Then that will have to be our wish," Poya answered.

The group fell silent, looking down, away from each other.

"Well, you asked. I don't like the idea of having to use them for that, either," Poya said, giving a huff.

Goshin could feel his hair swaying lightly in the cool breeze of the air conditioner. They already had a list of wishes, and couldn't Shen Long only grant one?

"With Kandor out of the way, we should be able to collect them again in one year without opposition. Then we can have a different wish granted," Poya said. "But, obviously, it's best if no one gets killed."

* * *

><p>The chilly morning air rustled Goshin's bangs. He yawned, inhaling deeply, filling his lungs and stretching one arm toward the sky. The sun was peaking over the mountains to the east, painting the sky with pale pinks and blues as the black of night retreated westward.<p>

The white sash of Goshin's yellow-orange gi fluttered in a sudden gust. He stepped lightly, trailing toward the back of the group. The light padding of the other's footsteps on the grass was barely audible over the continuous whine of chirping crickets.

The land still bore the scars of Goshin and Soku's training. Small craters were scattered to and fro, where blasts of ki had exploded, burning the ground's grassy blanket and scattering the dirt to the winds.

At the head of the group, Poya and Kame-Sen'nin stopped and turned to face the others.

"Poya and I feel that this is far enough away from the city to avoid attracting unwanted attention," Kame-Sen'nin said.

"You'll be taking off from here," Poya said, crossing his arms.

Goshin looked down at the tiny metal capsule he grasped in his hand, marked with the number "93".

"Uh, Master Poya?" Goshin said, raising a hand.

"Yes, Goshin, what is it?" Poya asked.

Goshin held up the plane capsule. "I don't know how to fly a plane."

"You're not going to be the one flying the plane, Goshin," Kame-Sen'nin said.

"Oh, right," Goshin said. He sighed in relief.

"Wait a minute, who is, then?"

At that moment, Koroger walked up next to Goshin and licked his hand, and then began panting.

Poya gestured toward Koroger with his head.

"What? Since when can dogs fly planes?" Ramis said, putting her hands on her hips.

"Well," Koroger said, standing up on his hind legs and reaching behind him, "I do have my pilot's license." He produced a small, leather wallet from... somewhere, and proceeded to pull a small card from it, which he held out for all to see.

Ramis, Banbo, Soku, and Goshin all squinted at it, uncertain, but none of the adults objected to its authenticity, so they shrugged and turned back to face Poya and Kame-Sen'nin.

"Now, here are the most important instructions I can give you. Goshin, Soku, if Kandor eludes us and comes for one of you, do not attempt to fight him. We're satisfied with your progress so far, but Poya and I do not wish to risk your health any more than is necessary. Take the Dragon Ball and run. We should arrive very quickly once we detect Kandor's ki, which will flare when he gives chase. We will handle him from there," Kame-Sen'nin warned.

"Now, Ramis and Banbo, you will leave first," Kame-Sen'nin said, nodding to the two.

They nodded in reply, and Ramis tossed their plane capsule into an empty area. The capsule exploded to reveal the vehicle inside, and the two climbed in. The engines began to whine and Ramis activated the plane's systems, and soon, it rose straight up into the sky, above the trees, and then zoomed off into the distance.

"Soku, you and Yuki will be leaving in a few minutes," Poya said.

Soku's parents were hugging their son tightly, weeping and wailing about their pride in him, while Yuki stood to the side, averting his eyes and grimacing, arms crossed. They cried, and cried, and Soku's green cheeks reddened and he rolled his eyes in embarrassment. Finally, Poya announced that it was time for him to leave.

Soku had to tear his parents away from himself as Yuki deployed their plane and climbed in, before climbing into the co-pilot's seat. They waved and continued to weep until the plane had disappeared from view.

Son Taicho put his hand on his son's shoulder. Goshin looked up into his father's smiling face. "I'm proud of you, son. I wish I could go with you, but I've got to stay here and watch over your mother. I'm sure she's proud, too." He patted Goshin on the back.

Goshin nodded. "Thanks, Dad."

A few minutes later, when Poya announced Goshin's time of departure had arrived, Goshin activated his capsule, and he and Koroger took their respective places inside the plane.

Taicho gave Goshin a thumbs-up, and said something that Goshin couldn't hear over the engines powering up.

Then his stomach dropped into his pelvis, then lurched into his throat, and then crashed against his spine as he and Koroger made their way to Karin's Sanctuary.


End file.
